LIFE -LORE  POEMS 


BY 
LUELLA  KNOTT 


BOSTON 

SHERMAN,  FRENCH  &  COMPANY 
1912 


COPYRIGHT,  1911 
SHERMAN,  FRENCH  6-  COMPANY 


To  one  I  love,  this  book  I  dedicate, 

My  mental  spouse,  my  heart's  true  mate; 

Whose  sweet  affection  doth  my  every  weakness 

cover, 
My  friend,  my  husband  and  my  lover. 


S136SOO 


PROEM 

CHILDREN  or  MINE: 

BORN  of  the  heart's  desire  for  better  things, 

Go   forth  and  bear  these  messages   upon   thy 

wings. 
They   are  not   weighty   truths,   not   high   nor 

grand, 
But  things  which  simple  hearts  may  know  and 

understand. 

I  would  not  have  thee  soar  aloft,  but  stay 
Right  in  the  paths  of  men  from  day  to  day. 
Linger  upon  Life's  high-way,  I  would  ask, 
Where  feeble  hands  thy  simple  thoughts  may 

grasp. 

I  would  not  have  thee  bear  mere  ideality, 
Nor  tell  men  idle  dreams,  but  things  that  be. 
Hold  forth  those  beauties  waking  eyes  may  see, 
And  show  some  hidden  charm  of  sweet  reality. 

Speak  thou  some  little  word  that  proves 
The  faithfulness  of  him  who  truly  loves ; 
And  softly  say  that  mother-love  still  lingers 
In  holy  expectation,  for  clinging  baby  fingers. 
And  from  thy  tiny  store  of  truth  let  fall 
One  bright  bit,  proving  God  is  over  all. 


And  do  not  fail  to  say  that  Christ  is  real, 
And  that  among  life's  paths  there  is  a  high-way 

still 
Where  man,  e'en  though  a  fool,  may  walk  from 

day  to  day, 
And  where  "old-time  religion"  marks   out  the 

"narrow  way." 
And  oh,  I  pray,  as  thou  dost  bear  these  thoughts 

upon  thy  wings, 
Thou   wilt   awake   in   other  hearts   desire  for 

better  things. 


CONTENTS 

PAOX 

HOME 3 

WHAT  IS  LOVE? 5 

DO    I  LOVE   THEE? 7 

THE   TEST 8 

A   QUESTION  OF  SPRING 10 

ACCOMPANYING  A  BOX  OF  FLOWERS     .     .  12 

THE  REASON  WHY 14 

"TOUJOURS  AIMANT" 15 

LIFE  AND  LOVE 16 

MY    MISSION 18 

BABY  AND   I 19 

"OFFEND     NOT     ONE     OF    THESE     LITTLE 

ONES"        22 

FULL-BLOWN 23 

TO   MY  BABY 25 

THE  SWEETEST  NAME 27 

MY  HEART'S   DESIRE 29 

NEW  YEAR'S  GREETING 33 

THE    EASTER    MORN 34 

THANKSGIVING  DAY 35 

CHRISTMAS 37 

THE    PATRIOT   VERSUS    THE    GRAFTER     .  40 

THE  FOUNTAIN  OF  YOUTH 42 

THAT   FAMILY   TREE 44 

PASS  IT  ON 47 

WOULD  YOU? 48 

LOOK  WITHIN 50 

COMPENSATION 51 

THE  WAY  OF  LIFE 52 

DELIVERANCE 53 

EDGAR  ALLAN  POE 55 

THE  NEWLY-WED 63 

"GONA" 65 

"AND  FEW  THERE  BE  THAT  FIND  IT"  68 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

"THE  LAST  SHALL  BE  FIRST" 71 

THE    DAISY'S    SECRET 73 

A    QUESTION 76 

ACCOMPANYING  A  WEDDING  GIFT     ...     78 

TO   MABLE    CLARE 79 

THE    SUNNY    SIDE 80 

PUBLIC   OFFICE 81 

TWICE  HID 82 

THE  CASTAWAY 83 

SELF'S    TRIAL   OF    SELF 85 

SWEET    SHRUBS 87 

HIDDEN   TREASURES 88 

ACCOMPANYING  A  GIFT  OF  "THOUGHTS"  .     90 

ONE  YEAR   IN   HEAVEN 91 

THE  JUDGMENT 93 

THE   BREVITY  OF   LIFE 94 

SELF-DENIAL 99 

MATTHEW  25:  41,  46 100 

"HE  PROVETH  YOU" 102 

"WHATSOEVER  YE   DO" 104 

UNSEEN  FORCES 106 

"TRADITION   OF   MEN" 108 

"THERE  IS  A  SIN  UNTO  DEATH"     ....  Ill 

"EVEN    IN    ALL    POINTS" 114 

MY  PRAYER 116 

"YE   KNOW   NOT  WHAT  YE  ASK"   ....   118 
"HE  THAT  SINNETH  WRONGETH  HIS  OWN 

SOUL" 120 

THE  THIRTY-SEVENTH  PSALM 123 

"LOVEST  THOU  ME  MORE  THAN  THESE?"  125 

"GREAT  IS  THE  MYSTERY" 128 

LIFE'S   HIGHWAY 130 

CONSECRATE    AND    CONCENTRATE    .      .     .132 
"HIS    BLOOD    WILL    I    REQUIRE"    .     .     .     .135 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

ACTIVE  CHRISTIANITY 137 

SEARCHING   FOR  TRUTH 145 

"WITH    FREEDOM    DID    CHRIST    SET    YOU 

FREE"         153 

LIKE  UNTO  THE  MOUNTAINS 160 


MY  HOME   CIRCLE 


HOME 

Is  it  a  place  of  lofty  domes, 

Of  towering  palace  walls, 
Where  wondrous   architecture 

Adorns  the  spacious  halls? 
Is  it  a  humble,  lowly  cot 

Of  unpretentious  mien, 
Where  hands  of  poverty  oppress 

The  lives  of  those  within? 

Ah  no,  'tis  no  material  thing, 

— The  place  which  men  call  home ; 
'Tis  not  the  peasant's  humble  cot, 

Nor  prince's  lofty  dome. 
'Tis  cheer  and  comfort,  warmth  and  light, 

A  place  where  power  divine 
Descends,  and  ever  willing  waits 

To  bless  your  heart  and  mine. 


[3] 


'Tis  where  the  care-worn,  burdened  heart 

Finds  rest  from  earthly  strife; 
An  atmosphere  which  we  create, 

—The  first  and  best  of  life ! 
It  is  a  throne  where  love  is  king, 

Where  peace  is  given  birth; 
The  nestling-place  of  hope  and  joy, 

A  heaven  here  on  earth! 


[4] 


WHAT  IS  LOVE? 

WHAT  is  love?  I  asked  a  stream.  "It  is  an 
endless  river 

That  flows  into  the  measureless  and  infinite  for- 
ever." 

What  is  love?  I  asked  the  sea;  it  laughed  in 
wild  derision; 

"  'Tis  an  expanse  of  heart,  which  spreads  be- 
yond your  mortal  vision." 

What  is  love?  I  asked  the  sky,  whose  vaults 

were  o'er  me  bending; 
"  'Tis  a  protecting  canopy,  which  never  has  an 

ending." 

What  is  love?  I  asked  the  flowers,  and  this  reply 

was  given: 
"A  bright  and  beauteous  blossom  here,  whose 

fruitage  is  in  heaven." 

What  is  love?  I  asked  the  stars,  that  shone  in 
all  directions ; 

"A  light  that  shines  on  hearts  and  minds,  re- 
vealing man's  perfections." 
[5] 


What   is   love?  I   asked  my   friend.     "The  tie 

which  naught  can  sever; 
The   seal   upon   your  heart    and  mine,   which 

holds  them  close  forever." 

What  is  love?  I  asked  my  love,  his  native  gen- 

ious  proving; 
He  took  me  in  his  arms  and  said :  "My  darling, 

love  is    loving!" 

What  is  love?  I  asked  my  soul.  "  'Tis  some- 
thing so  refining, 

That  it  is  simply  past  the  power  of  mortal 
man's  defining." 


[6] 


DO  I  LOVE  THEE? 

Do  I  love  thee,  do  I  love  thee? 
Ask  the  skies  that  bend  above  thee ; 
Ask  the  winds  that  blow  about  thee, 
What  my  life   would   be   without   thee? 
Ask  the  seas  that  stretch  before  thee, 
And  the  stars  that  twinkle  o'er  thee ; 
Ask  the  heavens,  I  implore  thee, 
If  I  love  thee  and  adore  thee? 
Stand  upon  the  highest  mountain ; 
Look  below,  around,  above  thee; 
Find  the  bound'ries  of  the  boundless ; 
Ask  me  then  how  much  I  love  thee? 
Fly  from  off  its  towering  summit 
Into  unknown  depths  of  space; 
Find  what  great  magnetic  power 
Holds  a  million  worlds  in  place. 
Then  from  Universe's  center, 
Measure  space  in  each  direction, — 
Failing  in  such  vain  endeavor, 
Come,  and  measure  on  forever 
My  immeasurable  affection. 


THE  TEST 

I  LOVED  thee  once  too  much  to  e'er  deny  thee 
Aught  thou  wouldst  ask.     And  it  was  joy  in- 
deed 

To  grant  requests,  and  ever  gratify  thee, 
Bestowing  all  thy  loving  heart  might  plead. 
But  now  I  love  thee  far  too  much,  my  darling, 
To  seek  alone  thy  pleasure  and  desire; 
'Tis  thy  best  good  for  which  my  heart  is  yearn- 
ing* 

'Tis  thy  completeness  I  would  now  require. 
For  though   so  pure   and   good,  my  love   de- 

mandeth 

A  purer  purity,  a  better  good, 
Than  that  which  human  reason  understandeth, 
Or  human  heart  hath  ever  understood. 

I'd  even  pain  inflict  to  purify  thee, 

And  make  thee  what  my  heart  would  have  thee 

be; 

My  love  has  grown  so  great,  it  can  deny  thee, 
Although  thy  pain  is  more  than  pain  to  me. 
For  oh,  the  grief  of  grieving  thee !   Was  ever 
Test  more  supreme,  or  love  more  sorely  tried, 
To  kindle  into  flame  the  fires  that  never 
Shall  lessen  till  thy  soul  is  purified? 
[8] 


I  love  theel     So  I  sit  with  the  Refiner, 
And  like  Him,  I  shall  not  be  satisfied 
Till  the  refining  fires  make  thee  diviner, 
And  burn  until  thy  soul  is  glorified! 


[9] 


A  QUESTION  OF  SPRING 

THE  skies  are  blue,  the  winds  are  sighing, 
The  flowers  bloom,  the  birds  are  nesting; 
Earth's  beauties  manifold  are  lying 
Where  they  will  prove  most  interesting. 
There's  something  in  the  air  to-day,  love, 
A  subtle  perfume,  gently  stealing, 
That  leads  my  fancy  far  away,  love, 
And  stirs  anew  the  depths  of  feeling. 

The  budding  trees  are  gently  swaying, 

Alive  with  merry,  noisome  twitting; 

The  world  to-day  has  gone  a  Maying, 

And  at  a  Cupid's  feast  is  sitting. 

And  yet,  although  you're  very  near,  love, 

Tender  as  in  the  long  ago, 

Something  was  there  that  is  not  here,  love ; 

What  is  it  lacking,  do  you  know? 

The  sky  and  trees  and  birds  and  flowers, 
The  fragrance  lingering  all    around  us, 
Still  brighten  all  the  golden  hours, 
And  find  us  true,  as  once  they  found  us. 
The  Spring  is  just  as  full  of  glory, 
The  flowers  have  just  as  sweet  a  smell, 
But  something's  gone  from  love's  old  story ; 
What  is  it,  darling,  can  you  tell? 
[10] 


What  is  it  missing?     Is  it  the  morning, 
And  has  the  evening,  somber  and  gray, 
Stolen  upon  us,  giving  no  warning 
That  we  are  nearing  the  end  of  the  day? 
Is  it  because  that  was  the  Maytime, 
The  Spring  of  life, — that  long  ago? 
And  this,  the  sad,  autumnal  gray-time; 
What  is  it  darling,  do  you  know? 


[11] 


DEAR   heart,   these   simple   flowers 

Betoken  love  for  thee; 
May  they  make  glad  the  hours 

Thou  art  away  from  me. 
In  each  rose-heart  abides 

A  thought  for  thy  reflection, 
Each  tiny  petal  hides 

An  ocean  of  affection. 
Each  bud  has  underneath 

What  every  lover  misses, 
For  under  each  green  leaf 

I  smuggled  lots  of  kisses. 
Mixed  with  their  sweet  perfume 

An  incense  is  ascending, 
An  odor  from  the  fires 

Of  love  that's  never-ending. 
The  flowers  soon  will  fade, 

They'll  scarcely  live  a  day; 
But  oh,  the  love,  inlaid, 

Will  never  pass  away. 
For  'tis  the  love,  my  dear, 

Hid  in  among  the  flowers, 
That  cheers  and  stays  the  heart 

In  all  its  lonely  hours. 

[12] 


And  though  the  flowers  die, 

This  love,  throughout  thy  life, 

Will  strengthen  and  sustain. 
As  ever,  I  remain 

Your  own  devoted  wife. 


[13] 


THE  REASON  WHY 

WHY  do  I  patiently  endure,  beloved, 

And  why,  in  spite  of  hindrances,  do  I  aspire 

To  those  sweet  gifts  of  life,  so  high  and  pure, 

beloved, 
What  is  it  strengthens  and  sustains  my  heart's 

desire? 

Why  is  it,  when  my  spirit  yearns,  beloved, 
And  almost  falters  in  the  strenuous  race, 
Something  sustains  till  strength  returns, 

beloved, 

And  all  that  sacred  life  concerns,  beloved, 
Lives  in  the  light  of  love  upon  thy  face  ? 

Why  do  I  patiently  endure,  beloved, 
Why  do  I  feel  so  confident  I  shall  not  fail? 
Why  do  I  know  the  vict'ry  is  so  sure,  beloved, 
Daring  e'en  hell  itself  against  me  to  prevail? 
Listen : — if  weak  should  grow  thy  love,  beloved, 
Weaker  than  foes  against  my  soul,  then  I  should 

see 

Myself  defeated !  Dost  thou  not  know,  beloved, 
When  love  is  stronger  than  the  foe,  beloved, 
There's  no  defeat  for  men  below,  beloved, 
I  fight,  endure  and  must  prevail,  because  thou 

loves t  me! 

[14] 


YOU'RE  weary  love,  and  tired  to-day ; 

I  fear  you  have  been  reading 
Too  much  of  prose,  when  'tis  life's  poetry 

You  and  I  are  needing. 
The  world's  as   full  of  music  now 

As  ever  she  used  to  be ; 
Her  glowing  beauties   sparkle  bright, 

If  we  but  look  and  see! 

The  air  is  just  as  balmy, 

The  sky  is  just  as  blue, 
And  naught  is  old  and  faded, 

But  bright  and  sweet  and  new. 
Life's  poetry  still  is  being  sung 

To  those  who  read  and  hear; 
And  love  is  ever  and  always  young 

To  those  who  hold  it  dear. 

So  come  with  me  for  a  little  while, 

And  place  your  arms  about  me, 
And  tell  me  with  the  old-time  smile, 

You  never  can  live  without  me. 
While  merry  birds  are  singing  rhymes 

In  swaying  trees  above  me, 
Come,  tell  me  as  in  olden  times 

You  love  me,  love  me,  LOVE  ME  ! 
[15] 


LIFE  AND  LOVE 

"I  LOVE  thee  more  than  life!" 

What  meanest  thou  by  such  extreme  expression? 

Does  heart  unite  with  lip  in  such  confession? 

Or  is  it  but  a  vain  exaggeration, 

A  meaningless  and  thoughtless  declaration? 

Are  life  and  love  a  mystic  combination, 

Blended  and  merged  into  such  condensation, 

That  to  thee  there  is  no  discrimination 

Between  the  two?  Is  love  more  dear  than  life 

to  thee, 
And  life,  itself,  less  dear  than  love  for  me? 

Forgive  my  questioning! 

I  do  not  doubt,  dear  heart,  thou  lovest  me 

As  truly  and  sincerely  as  I  have  loved  thee. 

And  if  so,  there  is  no  exaggeration, 

There  could  not  be  hyperbole  in  any  declaration. 

"I  love  thee  more  than  life,"  and  in  this  trite 

confession 
I  have  not  erred,  dear  heart,  nor  used  extreme 

expression. 

[16] 


And  thus  I  know  that  love  more  dear  than  life 

can  be; 
(What  would  I  care  for  life,  if  it  were  not  for 

thee?) 
If  one  should  restless  grow,   dear  heart,  and 

wing  its  flight 

To  some  far  distant  clime  in  regions  far  above, 
Truly,  our  love  would  homeless  be  without  its 

life, 
And  life,  a  tenantless  abode  without  its  love. 


[17] 


MY  MISSION 

A  PIECE  of  clay  to  mold  and  shape 

Is  given  unto  me; 
(I  am  the  Potter's  instrument,) 

What  shall  the  vessel  be? 
So  soft  and  pliable  it  lies, 

So  passive  and  so  still, — 
Responsive  to  my  every  touch, 

I  mold  it  as  I  will. 
And  yet,  potentially,  it  holds 

Far  more  than  I  can  say; 
The  strength  and  power  of  giant  forms 

Are  in  this  piece  of  clay. 

I  tremble  as  I  take  the  gift, 

This  pleasurable  care; 
For  hidden  deep,  somewhere  there  lies 

The  Potter's  image  fair. 
He  bids  me  labor  to  reveal 

The  wondrous  power  and  might 
Of  treasures  hid  in  earthen  clay, 

To  show  what  God  is  like. 
And  so  each  day  I  work  and  pray, 

And  grow  impatient,  maybe; 
For  oh,  dear  Lord,  I  long  to  see 

Thine  image  in  my  baby! 
[18] 


BABY  AND  I 

BABY  and  I  have  entered   school,   and   agreed 

to  teach  each  other; 
I'm  to  instruct   his   baby  mind,   and  he  is   to 

teach  his  mother. 
Others  may  cook  the  things  I  eat,  and  do  my 

sewing,  maybe; 
And  wash  and  iron  and  scrub  and  clean,  but 

/  shall  teach  my  baby ! 

For  while  I  teach,  he  teaches  too ;  many  the  les- 
sons we  each  assign ; 
We  study  and  learn   the  whole  day   through; 

page  upon  page  and  line  upon  line; 
I  am  a  student  and  he  is  too ;  I  am  his  teacher, 

and  he  is  mine. 

When  baby  holds  and  clings  to  me  and  trusts 

me  through  all  false  alarms, 
Resting  in  faith  upon  my  breast,  hiding  in  my 

encircling  arms, 
He  teaches  me  how  /  may  cling  close  to  my 

Father's  loving  side ; 
How,    in    His   everlasting   arms,  my   soul  may 

ever  hide. 

[19] 


And  oft  when  he  desires  a  thing,  insisting  with 

repeated  cries, 
And  I  refuse  to  grant  his  prayer, — how  quickly 

do  I  realize 
That  God  likewise  withholds  from  me  things 

which  His  very  love  denies. 

When  I  would  teach  his  feet  to  walk,  behold, 

I  get  instruction  too ! 
I  know  God's  hands  are  holding  me  as  I  my 

onward  way  pursue. 
And  when  he  falls  and  hurts  himself,  oh,  how 

I  hasten  to  restore ! 
I  kiss  the  little  bruised  hands,  and  lift  him  to 

his  feet  once  more; 
And   thus    my   baby   teaches   me  how   God    is 

watching  day  by  day, 
Ready  to  hear  my  feeble  cry,  and  answer  when 

I  kneel  and  pray; 
Eager  to  lift  me  when  I  fall,  and  help  me  over 

life's  road-way. 


[20] 


Baby  and  I  have  much  to  learn;  but  do  you 

know,  I'd  rather  be 
My  baby's  pupil  day  by  day,  than  have  him 

learn  of  me? 
His  sweet  submission  to  my  will,  his  confidence 

in  all  I  do, 
Increase  my  faith  and  make  me  yearn  to  be 

a  little  baby  too. 
His  simple  faith,  his  restfulness,  his  heart  so 

pure  and  undefiled, 
Have  taught  me  lessons  new  and  strange,  and 

made  my  wayward  spirit  mild ; 
And  lo!  each  day  I  kneel  and  pray:  "O  God, 

make  me  a  little  child." 


[21] 


"OFFEND  NOT  ONE  OF  THESE  LITTLE 
ONES" 

IF  God  should  set  some  single  task  for  me, 
Appointing  just  one  work  for  me  to  do, 
I'd  pray  for  power  each  day  to  know  and  see 
What  means  to  use,  what  methods  to  pursue, 
That  I  might  give  these  jewels  back  to  Him 
Unmarred, — and  brilliant  with  a  light  divine: 
Bright  with  the  luster  of  the  purest  gem, 
Unstained  by  any  unclean  touch  of  mine. 
Aye,  could  I  choose  the  blessed  task, 
And  say  what  my  appointed  work  should  be, 
Of  all  the  souls  on  earth  to  save,  I'd  ask, 
Dear  Lord,  that  Thou  wouldst  let  me  save — 
MY  THREE! 

Ah,  God  has  set  this  single  task  for  me, 
Though  many  other  tasks  are  given  too ; 
But  may  I  ever  labor,  watch  and  pray, 
As  if  this  work  were  all  I  had  to  do. 


[22] 


FULL-BLOWN 

A  DEAR  little  rose-bud  white 

Grew  out  in  the  Summer  weather; 
The  petals  were  locked  up  tight 

In  a  close  embrace  together. 
They  were  pressed  so  close  and  locked  so  tight, 
You  never  would   guess   that   the    sweet   sun- 

light 

Or  the  dews  of  night  could  ever  get  through, 
The  petals  to  burst  or  the  lock  undo. 

But  early  one  morn  I  arose, 

And  what  do  you  think  I  discerned? 
There,  wet  with  the  dews  of  the  night, 

My  bud  to  a  rose  had  turned ! 
The  rain  and  the  dew  and  the  golden  sun 
The  petals  had  burst  and  the  lock  undone. 
How  they  accomplished  it  no  one  knows ; 
But  my  bud  had  turned  to  a  beautiful  rose! 

A  dear  little  baby  form 

Was  given  into  my  keeping; 
I  thought  of  the  latent  powers 

Locked  tight,  and  quietly  sleeping. 
[23]  " 


They  were  pressed  so  close  and  locked  so  tight, 
You  never  would  guess  that  the  sweet  sunlight 
Of  mind  and  soul  could  ever  get  through, 
The  petals  to  burst  or  the  lock  undo. 

But  through  life's  sweet  sunshine, 

Its  rain  and  heat  and  cold, 
Through  mysteries   which   I  can't  explain, 

I  saw  my  bud  unfold. 
I  cannot  tell  how  the  blossoms  start 
From  living  buds  in  the  human  heart, 
I  cannot  tell  how  the  powers  find, 
Their  sweet  awakening  in  the  mind: 

But  love  has  many  keys 

As  buds  have  many  leaves; 
And  love  unlocks  the  petals, 

And  wondrous  work  achieves. 
And  when  her  work  is  done,  I  see 
The  loveliest  sight  on  earth  to  me; 
The  sweetest  flower  that  lives  or  grows, 
A  full-blown,  living,  HUMAN  rose! 


[24] 


TO  MY  BABY 

Is  it  not  strange  that  though  long  years 
Of  anxious  thought  and  pain  and  cares, 
And  weary  hours  of  hopes  and  fears, 

Await  me  in  my  care  for  thee ; 
That  I  should  view  with  such  delight 
Thy  tiny  face,  so  sweet  and  bright? 
Is  it  not  strange  that  I  rejoice 
To  hear  thy  feeble,  wailing  voice? 
For  baby  mine,  it  was  my  choice 
And  my  desire  for  thee  to  come, 
To  bring  more  sunshine  to  our  home, 

And  more  of  joy  to  me. 

Is  it  not  strange  I  longed  for  thee, 
And  felt  I  could  not  wait  to  see 
The  baby  who  was  promised  me; 

Though  other  babes  were  mine, 
And  countless  other  duties  pressed, 
I  longed  to  hold  thee  to  my  breast — 
Is  it  not  strange,  that  though  my  hands 
And  heart  were  full  of  love's  demands 
Already,  there  was  time  to  spare, 
And  strength  for  still  another  care: 
A  home  and  love  for  thee  to  share, 

A  place  already  thine? 
[25] 


Let  others  boast  their  freedom  still 
To  go  and  come  whene'er  they  will, 
At  founts  of  pleasure  drink  their  fill ; 

I  do  not  need  to  roam, 
Nor  go  abroad  to  find  my  joy: 
I  find  it  in  my  baby  boy ! 
Each  day  brings  ample  recreation; 
A  satisfying  compensation 
Is   ever  granted  unto  me; 
For  life  is  joyous,  glad  and  free 

In  children,  love  and  home. 

It  is  not  strange,  O  baby  sweet! 
That  you  this  love  and  welcome  meet; 
Nor  that  with  open  arms  I  greet 

Thy  spirit  fresh  from  God. 
Do  not  the  trees  delight  to  flower, 
And  nature  glory  in  the  power 
To  cast  her  seed?     Then  should  not  we, 
"Made  in  His  image,"  seek  to  be 
Creators?     Thus  I  welcome  thee. 
For  O  sweet  babe,  there  ever  rests 
In  every  normal  woman's  breast 

The  parenthood  of  God! 


[26] 


THE  SWEETEST  NAME 

I'VE  always  heard 

The  dearest  name,  the  sweetest  word 
To  everyone  beneath  the  sun ; 

Never  ending,  ne'er  begun, 
Richest  blessings  comprehending, 

Every  worth  and  virtue  blending ; 
Thread  of  gold  from  worlds  enchanted, 

Just  a  bit  of  heaven  granted ; 
You  were  likewise  thus   impressed, 

And  ere  this  I  know  you've  guessed 
That  the  dearest  name,  and  sweetest, 

Purest,  broadest  and  completest, 
Fairer  far  than  any  other, 

Blessed,  sacred,  holy  "MOTHER." 

Now  in  later  years,  however, 

I  should  like  to  reconsider. 
"Mother"  in  the  long  ago 

Was  the  sweetest  name,  I  know ; 
But  since  I,  myself,  am  "mother," 

I  have  changed  it  to  another. 
[27] 


Joys  of  heaven  and  earth  are  blended, 

All  the  sweets  of  life  are  lended, 
Everything  is  comprehended 

In  my  substituted  word ! 
Ah,  I  wonder  have  you  guessed  it, 

Ere  my  mother-heart  expressed  it; 
That  the  sacred  name  of  "Baby" 

Is  the  sweetest  ever  heard? 


[28] 


MY  HEART'S  DESIRE. 

I  WOULD  not  ask  that  wealth  or  fame, 

Earth's  glory  and  an  honored  name 

Be  thine.     My  heart's  desire  would  claim 

More  lasting  joy! 

A  spirit,  strong  and  brave  and  free, 
A  heart  of  truth  and  purity, 
A  life  unfettered, — this  for  thee 

I  ask,  my  boy. 

I  would  not  ask  a  conqueror's  crown, 
With  many  jewels  weighted  down ; 
Bold  exploits,  nor  a  world's  renown, 

— Not  this  my  prayer; 
But  I  would  seek  a  higher  goal, 
And  ask  that  strong  and  true  thy  soul 
Be  kept.     That  power  and  self-control 

Sustain   thee  everywhere. 

I  seek  for  thee  no  earthly  prize, 

I  ask  the  wealth  which  heaven  supplies, 

For  strength  and  power  the  world  denies 

To  you  and  me; 

This  earth  is  far  too  small  to  try 
My  soul's  deep,  best  wish  to  satisfy. 
'Tis  heaven  alone  can  gratify 

My  heart's  desire  for  thee. 
[29] 


MISCELLANEOUS 


NEW  YEAR'S  GREETING 

THE  year  is  drawing  to  a  close,  dear  heart, 

And  little  good  'twill  do  for  you  and  I 

To  sit  and  weep,  because  its  record  shows,  dear 

heart, 

So  little  done ;  nor  will  we  question  why 
We  failed  so  many  times  to  be  and  do 
What  we  desired.     We'll  save  our  tears 
For  better  things,  and  seek  to  know 
How  we  may  better  serve  in  future  years. 

Perhaps   we've  walked   too   much   alone,   dear 

heart, 

And  trusted  to  ourselves  from  day  to  day; 
Our  hands  were  somehow  severed  from  His  own, 

dear  heart, 

And  thus  we  sometimes  stumbled  on  the  way. 
But  with  a  purpose  born  of  faith  and  prayer, 
Close  by  His  side  we'll  take  a  firmer  stand ; 
And  clinging  closer  through  the  coming  year, 
Be    this    our   daily   prayer:    "Hold    Thou   my 

hand." 

[33] 


THE  EASTER  MORN 

"SEEK  je  the  living  among  the  dead?" 
Search  ye  for  light  in  sepulchral  gloom? 
Looking  for  warmth  in  the  earth's  cold  bed, 
Linger  ye  ever  around  some  tomb? 
"What  seek  ye?"  Is  it  life  or  death, 
What  does  your  heart  in  its  searching  crave? 
That  which  respires  with  immortal  breath 
Does  not  lie  in  the  earth's  cold  grave! 
"Life  abundant"  thou  wilt  not  find 
In  tombs  of  earth ;  it  long  hath  fled ! 
The  powers  of  darkness  cannot  bind 
Nor  hold  the  living  among  the  dead! 

Earth  cannot  give  thee  thy  heart's  desire, 
Nor  can  she  ever  reply  to  thee ; 
Angels,  who  sit  by  the  tomb  each  hour, 
(Hearing  thy  questioning:  "Where  is  He?") 
Answer  and  say:  "He  is  not  here, 
Turn  thy  steps  from  the  tomb  away." 
And  lo !  As  the  tints  of  the  dawn  appear, 
Thy  soul  in  gladness  awaits  the  day. 
For  heeding  the  angels'  blissful  word, 
Whose  music  fills  the  air  around, 
Thy  face  is  turned  to  meet  the  Lord, 
The  sunlight  breaks,  and  life  is  found! 


THANKSGIVING  DAY 

"In  Everything  Give  Thanks." 

MANY,  dear  Lord,  are  thanking  Thee  to-day 

For  health,  for  plenty  and  for  peace; 

For  comforts  and  for  joys  along  life's  way, 

For  luxuries  and  sumptuous  feasts. 

But  what  of  the  trials,  the  pain  and  cares, 

The  troubles  and  burdens  that  never  cease; 

The  heart's  dull  aches  and  the  burning  tears, 

Do  we  thank  Thee,  Lord,  for  these? 

Many,  dear  Lord,  are  thanking  Thee  to-day, 
For  blessings  of  earth  and  gifts  and  powers ; 
For  wealth  and  joy  and  love  along  life's  way, 
For  strength,  for  sunshine,  song  and  flowers. 
But  what  of  the  sorrows  we  often  know, 
The  weaknesses,  pain  and  sore  disease; 
The  want,  the  poverty,  grief  and  woe, 
Do  we  thank  Thee,  Lord,  for  these? 

[35] 


Any,  dear  Lord,  the  faithless  and  the  vain, 
Can  thank  Thee  for  the  sunshine  and  the  light ; 
We  would  do  more,  we  thank  Thee  for  the  pain, 
The  anguish  and  the  darkness  of  the  night. 
For  "as  the  eagle  stirreth  up  her  nest" 
Till  hidden  thorns  shall  force  the  young  to  rise 
And  fly,  so  dost  Thou  pierce  the  human  breast, 
That  we  may  our  weak  pinions  exercise, 
And  leaving  things  of  earth,  may  do  our  best 
To  strive  and  to  attain  the  heavenly  prize. 


[36] 


CHRISTMAS 

"For  Unto  You  Is  Born  This  Day  in  the  City  of  David 
A  Saviour  Which  Is  Christ  the  Lord." 

WHAT  means  this  angel-song  so  sweet  and  clear, 

That  falls  to-day  upon  each  listening  ear? 

What  mean  the  words  that  ring  and  sound 

Like  music,  all  the  world  around? 

Listen  and  hear — "For  unto  you  is  born 

A  Saviour !"  Be  it  ever  known 

That  unto  you  this  Saviour  came, 

And  unto  me  is  breathed  His  precious  name. 

"A  Saviour,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord," 

Was  ever  sweeter  message  heard? 

"A  SAVIOUR!"  listen,  dost  thou  hear 

The  angel  voices  singing  everywhere, 

Filling  the  earth  and  air,  as  they  proclaim 

The  majesty  and  glory  of  His  name? 

An  angel  in  prediction  of  His  birth 
Brought  glorious  tidings  to  the  lost  of  earth. 
The  virgin  trembled  when  the  message  came; 
But  earth  rejoiced  when  he  pronounced  the  name 
Of  Him   who  should  be  born — Ah,   hast   thou 

heard 

And  understood  the  meaning  of  the  word — 
Saviour?     "Jesus  his  name  shall  be, 
For  He  shall  save  from  sin,"  said  he. 


O  glorious  tidings,  message  sweet ! 

A  SAVIOUR,  with  salvation  all  complete, 

Has  come !  Ah,  have  we  let  Him  in, 

And  have  we  let  Him  save  us  from  our  sin? 

If  not,  we  still  must  look,  till  we  behold 

This   Saviour  whom  the  messenger  foretold. 

The  song  the  shepherds  heard  that  night 

Still  rings  abroad.     Our  spiritual  sight 

Still  sees  the  messengers.     Our  spiritual  ears 

Still  catch  the  music  floating  down  the  years. 

This  is  no  idle  dream — this  song  we  hear; 

This  is  no  shepherd's  fancy !     Far  and  near 

The  strains  are  swelling,  floating  on, 

"For  unto  you  this  day  is  born 

A  Saviour,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord !" 

Have  we  received  the  wondrous  Word? 

Ah,  friend,  do  you  and  I  each  day 

Believe  the  message  and  obey 

This  Saviour?     Have  we  let  Him  save, 

And  have  we  proved  the  promise  which  He  gave  ? 

Do  we  surrender  to  the  power 

That  keeps  and  saves  each  passing  hour? 

The  music  of  the  angel-song  to-day 

Is  sweet  as  when  the  shepherds  heard  the  lay. 

The  strains  are  swelling,  flowing  on : 

"For  unto  you  a  Saviour's  born !" 

[38] 


If  you  have  never  known  His  power  to  save, 
Nor  yet  received  the  promise  which  He  gave ; 
O  may  the  light  of  heaven's  radiance  shine 
And  flood  your  heart  with  glory  all  divine. 
May  you  behold  the  star,  and  follow  on 
To  know  a  Saviour  truly  has  been  born. 
May  you  and  I  this  day  anew  begin, 
And  let  this  SAVIOUR  save  us  from  our  sin ! 


[39] 


THE  PATRIOT  VERSUS  THE  GRAFTER 

WHAT  of  the  man  who,  with  heart  sincere 
And  courage  undaunted,  hath  entered  the  fight  ? 
Who  dares  to  be  true  without  favor  or  fear, 
And  always  and  ever  upholdeth  the  right? 
What  of  the  man  whose  work  is  the  sowing 
Of   seedlings  whose  harvest  he  knows  will  be 

long  ? 

Who,  through  persecution,  awaiteth  the  grow- 
ing. 
And  dares  to  do  right  though  it  looks  to  be 

wrong? 

Who  giveth  his  name  and  his  good  reputation, 
That  he  may  perform  what  the  people  despise ; 
Who  loses  himself  for  the  good  of  the  nation, 
And  buries  himself  that  his  people  may  rise? 
What  of  the  man  who  hath  counted  it  gain 
To  lose,  and  to  welcome  the  cup  he  imbibes  ? 
To  triumph  o'er  pain  and  to  live  on  a  plane 
Where  none  dare   approach  him  to   offer  him 
bribes  ? 

[40] 


What  of  the  man  who  lives  on  the  mountain, 

Where    safety,    protection     and    freedom     are 
given, 

Whose  soul  is  refreshed  from  a  life-giving  foun- 
tain, 

Whose   spirit   is    nourished    on   bread   without 
leaven ; 

What  of  the  peace  on  the  crest  of  the  moun- 
tain— 

Is  this  not  heaven? 


[41] 


THE  FOUNTAIN  OF  YOUTH 

HE  landed  on  a  golden  Easter  morn, 

And  surely  he  had  steered  the  boat  aright ; 

For  there  beneath  the  smiling  of  the  dawn 

An  Easter  land  was  nestled,  warm  and  bright. 

In  Easter  garb  the  shores  were  decorated, 

The  sky  threw  Easter  lights  into  the  sea ; 

Each  color  of  the  rainbow  radiated 

From  every  shrub  and  flower  and  budding  tree. 

A  soldier,  strong  in  enterprise  and  daring, 

(Granada  Moors  had  trembled  at  his  name; 

Hispaniola's  richest  treasure  sharing 

Had  added  wealth  to  military  fame.) 

Bent    with    the    weight    of    years    this    Easter 

morn, 

He  landed  with  the  little  Spanish  crew; 
Upon  the  floral  shores  new  hopes  were  born, 
"Pascua  Florida  will  my  youth  renew! 

"Pascua  Florida,  show  to  me  the  fountain, 
Where  I  may  sink  this  weight  of  years  I  bear ; 
For  surely  in  this  Easter  land  of  beauty 
The  Fount  of  Youth  is  hid  away  somewhere." 
[42] 


Into  the  depths  of  wild  and  verdant  woodland, 
Far  into  regions  unexplored  they  go ; 
Nor  fear  to  test  each  stream,  as  on  they  wander, 
Still  seeking  where  the  magic  waters  flow. 

Ah,  DeLeon!    Thou  one  of  many  millions, 
Who  seek  in  vain  to  know  and  understand ; 
Thy  bleached  bones  mark  out  a  path  mistaken, 
A  "way  that  seemeth  right"  unto  a  man. 
'Tis  not  where  weary  men  are  ever  searching, 
It  does  not  flow  from  depths  of  earthly  clay; 
The  Fount  of  Youth  is  hid  within  thy  bosom, 
Aye,  deep  within  thy  heart  'tis  hid  away. 
'Tis  here  the  Resurrected  life  abideth, 
'Tis  here  that  youth,  eternal,  each  may  know; 
Ah,  truly !  'tis  an  Easter  land  of  beauty, 
This  kingdom,  where  the  Living  Waters  flow. 
Wouldst  find  it?     Be  thou  passive  and  recep- 
tive; 

While  faith  is  active,  be  thou  still  and  rest! 
And  soon  the  waters  of  this  Living  Fountain 
Will  flow  like  healing  rivers  from  thy  breast. 


[43] 


THAT  FAMILY  TREE 

A  WOMAN  once  was  much  endowed  with  won- 
drous length  of  tongue, 

And  praises  of  her  pedigree  from  morn  till 
night  were  sung. 

She  told  what  mighty  things  were  done  by 
gifted  men  of  note, 

Who  hung  upon  her  family  tree  in  ages  far  re- 
mote. 

So  famous  was  her  lineage  and  aristocracy 

That  she  could  talk  of  nothing  else  save  gene- 
alogy. 

Her  consanguineous   grands    and  greats   were 

wonderful  to  see, 
And  gifted  aunts  and  uncles  hung  upon  this 

family  tree! 
And  cousins,  my!  they  were  profuse,  and  all 

distinguished  too! 
Governors,  judges,  lawyers  shrewd,  and  leaders 

not  a  few! 

[44] 


No  wonder  that   she   looked   at  it  and  talked 

of  it  all  day, 
And  naught  was  right  unless  'twas  done  some 

royal  cousin's  way. 
For  surely  there  was  never  yet  a  tree  so  grand 

and  high 
As  this  immense,  gigantic  thing,  whose  branches 

touched  the  sky. 

But  saddest  of  it  all  was  this, — suspended  full 

in  sight 

There  hung  an  ignoramus,  a  brainless  parasite ! 
A    dangling    and    contemptuous     thing    from 

braggadocio   school ; 
Who  hadn't  even  sense  enough  to  know  she  was 

a  fool! 
And  who  has  never  yet  displayed  one  evidence 

of  thought, 
Existing  only  on  the  things  her  great-grand 

daddies  wrought. 

When  will  the  human  family  learn  that  when 

the  blood  is  blue, 
'Twill  show  itself  in  character  strong,  firm  and 

good  and  true! 
When  none  can  know  its  color  except  when  we 

describe  it, 
We  call  it  low  plebeian,  and  dare  you  to  deny  it ! 


[45] 


Ancestors'  brains   don't   think  for  us   nor  are 

their  deeds  a  credit. 
Some    things   are   always    evident   without   our 

having  said  it. 
If  they  were  true  aristocrats,  we'll  never  have 

to  yell  it, 
And  if  their  blue  blood  flows  in  us,  we'll  never 

have  to  tell  it. 


[46] 


PASS  IT  ON 

You  can  smile?  Ah,  that's  a  blessing 
Both  to  you  and  those  you  greet ! 
Thus  you  go  through  life,  confessing 
Warmth  of  heart  to  all  you  meet. 
Golden  sunbeams  on  life's  pathway, 
Cheap,  but  priceless,  all  the  while; 
Just  one  question  more,  if  I  may: 
Can  you  make  another,  smile? 
For  your  smile,  though  sweet  and  mellow, 
Does  but  half  it  ought  to  do ; 
Till  you  see  the  other  fellow 
Smiling  back  at  you. 


[47] 


WOULD  YOU? 

SUPPOSE  that  to  your  waiting  soul — receptive, 

still- 
Truth  came  and  spoke  a  message,  sweet  and 

low; 
Suppose  that  to  your  yearning  heart  she  would 

reveal 
Things   which  your   spirit   most   desired  to 

know; 
Should  she  pour  forth  sweet  strains  of  some 

rich  melody 

Ne'er  heard  by  mortal  man  since  time  began, 
Would  you  rejoice  that   she  had  chosen  you 

to  hear 
And  bear  her  revelation  unto  man? 

Would  you  be  strong  and  bold  her  message 

to  proclaim? 

Would  you  rejoice  that  she  had  chosen  you 
To  stand  alone,  and  seek  to  glorify  the  name 

Of  Truth,  in  all  that  you  might  say  or  do? 
Suppose  the  message  was  of  such  import  that 

you 

Could  not  explain  in  ways  that  satisfied 
The  bold  demands  of  reason,  nor  pursue 

The  paths  which  intellectual  powers  provide. 
[48] 


Would  you  be  strong  enough  to  say:  "Behold 
I  stand 

Where  Reason  ceaseth,  and  where  Observation 
Doth  never  more  observe.     Here,  Reason's  hand 

Is  clasped  and  led  by  that  of  Revelation, 
Thus   am  I   led   to   know  the  things  not   yet 
discerned 

By  eyes  or  ears  or  heart  of  natural  man ; 
And  lo!  unto  a  natural  world  I  dare  proclaim 

Things  which  the  spiritual  only  understand"? 


[49] 


LOOK  WITHIN 

THE  world  to-day  is  all  gone  wrong, 

Nobody  in  it  is  good  or  true; 

Through  frowns  and  tears  you  move  along, 

And  everything  looks  awry  to  you. 

Above,  below,  and  around  you  seek 

To  find  where  the  causes  of  evil  rest, 

But  the  thing  that  has  made  the  world  go  wrong 

Is  hidden,  my  friend,  within  your  breast ! 


[50] 


COMPENSATION 

I  LOOK  into  my  labor,  and  I  see 
Material  efforts   spiritualized, 
And  tasks,  most  menial,  mirror  back  to  me 
God's   Truth,   in  beauty,   undisguised. 
For  be  my  work  of  hand  or  mind  or  heart, 
The  strength  to  do  it  is  supplied, 
And  every  power  of  self  I  thus  impart 
Comes  back  to  me,  in  power  multiplied. 

And  thus,  whate'er  of  self  I  may  expend, 
But  makes  me  richer  than  I  was  before. 
God's  Truth:  that  what  we  spend  or  what  we 

lend, 
Comes  back,  full  measure,  pressed  and  running 

o'er. 

And  be  my  service  for  the  high  or  low, 
Or  be  my  task  the  greatest  or  the  least, 
The  bread  I  cast,  will  be  returned  I  know 
As  Living  bread,   augmented  and   increased 
In  every  rich  supply, — a  sumptuous  feast. 
[51] 


THE  WAY  OF  LIFE 

A  TABLE  set  for  two,  in  a  little  house  so  new, 
With  everything  so  cozy  and  so  clean 
That  not  a  speck  of  dust,  and  not  a  bit  of  rust 
Within  the  little  house  is  ever  seen. 

A  table  set  for  eight,  in  a  house  so  big  and 

great; 

With  merry,  happy  voices,  sweet  and  clear 
The  rooms  reverberate.     From  early  until  late 
We  hear  their  noise  and  laughter  everywhere. 

The  years  go  quickly  by,  they  seem  to  fairly 

fly! 

And  with  them,  all  the  little  ones  have  flown ; 
No  happy  voices  fill  the  rooms  so  hushed  and 

still, 
For  lo !  they  live  in  houses  of  their  own. 

And  once  again  I  see,  as  clean  as  it  can  be, 
A  big  and  silent  house,  so  old  and  worn ; 
And  once  again  I  view  a  table  set  for  two, 
And  see  an  aged  couple, — ALL  ALONE  ! 
[52] 


DELIVERANCE 

THE  way  was  rough  and  thorny,  and  my  feet 
Oft  strayed  and  stumbled,  as  I  sought  to  know 
The  safest  path;  and  every  step  I  took 
Seemed  yet  more  weary,  weak  and  slow. 
My  heart  was  sorely  burdened,  and  upon  my 

life 

There  hung  a  heaviness,  as  clanking  chains 
Of  prisoners,  bound  in  dungeons,  weigh  them 

down 
To  limitations  and  exquisite  pains. 

Incising  flesh  and  bone,  they  hold  the  captive 
And  make  him  face  the  walls  that  hold  him  in, 
While  they  deride  his  efforts  and  endeavor, 
And  mock  the  chafing  and  the  hopeless  pain! 
"Ah,  life!"  I  cried,  "the  chains  are  heavy  on 

thee, 
High  walls  obstruct  what  seems  thy  rightful 

way; 

Shut  in  are  thy  desires ;  shut  out  their  satisfac- 
tion, 

And  scourged  and  mocked  art  thou  from  day 
to  day," 

„ ,        [  53  ] 


Helpless,  I  prayed :  "O  Father,  lift  me  upward, 
And  lead   my   weary,   struggling   spirit  where 
Its  equilibrium  cannot  be  molested 
By  earth's  continuous  and  corroding  care." 
He  answered  me,  and  raised  my  longing  spirit 
To  heights  where  I  might  view  my  earthly  way 
From    heaven's    perspective,    seeing    bars    and 

burdens 
As  God  observes  and  judges  them  each  day. 

And  lo !  the  chains  that  bound  me  broke  asunder 

As  threads  that  bound  the  fabled  Gulliver, 

When  Lilliputian  hands  had  sought  so  vainly 

Thus  to  control  him  as  their  prisoner. 

And  burdens,  sorrows,  cares  and  limitations 

Diminished  in  proportion  as  my  feet 

Climbed    upward,    and   my    spirit    reached   the 

borders 

Where  heaven   meets   earth,   in   harmony   com- 
plete. 


[54] 


EDGAR  ALLAN  POE 

1809-1849 

CHILD  of  the  muse,  so  sad,  so  wild, 

So  melancholy  and  untamed ; 

Thou  instrument  of  sensitive  strings, 

Which  no  man  yet  has  named ; 

Thy  tenuous  sensibilities 

Were  delicately,  finely  wrought; 

Thy  quivering  nerve  strings,  tightly  drawn, 

Responded  to  the  touch  of  thought, 

And  sent  back  strains  of  wild,  uncanny  sound, 

Such  weird,  ethereal  harmony, 

That  whence  it  comes  or  where  it  goes, 

Alike  is  wrapt  in  mystery. 


[55] 


Far-seeing  child,  whose  intuition 
Saw  things  which  duller  men  could  not  discern ; 
Prophetic  phrases  speak  in  frank  admission 
Things   which   the   world   has   waited   long   to 

learn. 

So  full  of  dreams  which  speak  themselves 
In  ghostly  tales  and  jingling  rhyme; 
So  filled  with  grotesque  imagery, 
Ridiculous,  and  yet  sublime, 
Belched  up  from  an  inferno, 
And  showered  from  the  highest  heaven; 
Thy  thoughts  have  met  midway  on  earth 
And  mingled  in  melodious  rhythm. 

Thou  poor,  heart-hungry,  wild-eyed  child, 
Whose  wondrous  and  impassioned  powers 
Create   such  horrors,   thine  own  soul 
Doth  fear  them.     And  thy  spirit  cowers 
Before  them,  lest  they  snatch  from  thee 
These   earthly   terrors,   mortal  woes ; 
And  give  in  turn  immortal  fears 
And  taunt  thee  with  more  fiendish  foes ; 
And  then  condemn  thee  to  the  worst 
That  impish  spirits  yet  have  named; 
Target  for  all  the  fiery  darts 
That  hell  itself  has  ever  aimed. 


[56] 


Like  Baudelaire,  thy  brother, 

Thou  was  born  to  feel  and  see 

The  cosmic  terror,  restless  dread, 

The  fearful  unreality 

Attending  superstitious  thought. 

A  fierce,  insatiate  desire 

Was  ever  smoldering  in  thy  breast, 

A  burning  and  a  living  fire, 

Whose  forked  tongues  of  livid  flame 

Reach  forth  and  burn  thy  fellow-man 

Till  he  doth,  somehow,  share  thy  pain, 

And  seem  to  know  and  understand — 

Thy  bold  chimeras.     Phantoms  take 

Material  forms,  with  power  to  move 

And  speak  and  make  men  shudder. 

Thou  hast  ability  to  prove 

That  unreality  is  real, 

And  make  thy  readers  to  agree 

With  every  premise,  and  to  form 

The  same  conclusions  reached  by  thee. 

Men  drink  thy  thought,  and  with  each  quaff 

They  feel  a  strange  exhilaration, 

Till  they,  too,  "see  things  in  the  night" 

With  uncontrolled  imagination. 


[57] 


The  gloomy  "House  of  Usher"  stands 
In  gaseous  vapors,  leaden-hued ; 
We  enter  into  shrouded  halls 
By  melancholia's  power  subdued. 
"The  Devil  in  the  Belfry" 
Is  no  optical  illusion ; 
We  see  him  tugging  at  the  ropes, 
And  feel  the  wild  confusion 
Resulting  from  the  striking 
And  the  counting  of  thirteen ; 
And  Vondervottemittiss  town, 
The  craziest  ever  seen ! 

We  walk  with  "Ragged  Mountain's  Man," 

Our  sense  with  his  in  close  alliance; 

And  find  through  strange  experience, 

The  essence  of  a  future  science. 

We  don  thy  magic  "Spectacles," 

New  truths  to  learn,  new  sights  to  see; 

And  lo!  we  each  discern,  somewhere, 

Our  soul's  affinity. 

"The  Gold  Bug"  and  the  parchment 

With  accompanying  enigmas 

Are  logical  and  rational, 

With  their  "death's  head"  goat  and  figures. 


[58] 


Egyptian  mummies  rise  and  speak 

As  'twere  a  natural  thing  to  do; 

Thy  hands  unloose  the  bindings 

Of  their  souls  and  bodies  too. 

It  is  not  strange  that  we  should  hear 

"The  Tell-Tale  Heart"  to  throb  and  beat ; 

We  do  not  feel  that  death  itself 

Could  thwart  a  thing  thy  lips  repeat. 

And  e'en  "The  Black  Cat's"  wailing  voice 

Is  music  to  our  willing  ears; 

And  every  ghost  that  stalks  abroad 

Creates  most  fascinating  fears. 

Thou  dreadful  host  of  ravens, 

Thou  dost  beguile  the  heart  and  brain, 

Till  we,  ourselves,  would   gladly  seek 

Uncanny  birds  to  entertain. 

Thy   jingling  songs    and   wailing  rhymes 

Have  ever  bound   and   captivated; 

And  those  who  read  and  those  who  -hear 

Are  by  thy  thought  inoculated. 

"The  Bells"  ring  out  a  song  to-day 

Men  never  heard  or  knew  about 

Until  thy  magic  hand  reached  forth 

To  draw  the  mellow  music  out. 


[59] 


They  had  no  language,  spoke  no  tongue, 

Till  thou  didst  make  interpretation ; 

But  now  we  hear  a  message 

On  each  tintinnabulation. 

There  is  "A  City  in  Sea," 

"Where  Death  hath  reared  Himself  a  throne ;" 

But  none  save  thee  have  ever  dared 

To  tread  its  ghostly  streets  alone. 

Eulalie's  curls  still  glisten  bright, 

Fair   Helen's   starry   eyes   we  see; 

All  men  adore  thy  sweet  Lenore, 

And  weep  for  Annabel  Lee. 

Strange  that  thy  weary  life  went  out 
And  years  have  passed,  ere  man  could  find 
The  hidden  beauties  of  thy  thought, 
And  learned  the  secrets  of  thy  mind. 
Man's  ear  was  dull  these  many  years ; 
He  could  not  hear  thy  soul's  deep  sighs ; 
His  eye  was  dim,  he  could  not  see 
The  visions  clear  to  keener  eyes. 
His  heart  strings  were  too  coarse  to  feel 
The  stroke  of  such  ethereal  hands; 
His  spirit  had  not  reached  a  height 
To  catch  the  song  of  other  lands. 


[60] 


But  now,  awakened  hearts  unite 
In  universal  admiration; 
More  sensitive  ears  and  keener  sight 
Induce  a  just  appreciation 
Of  all  our  rich  inheritance, 
Thy  legacy,  so  wondrous  great; 
With  natures  more  in  tune  with  thee, 
Our  own  heart  strings  reverberate 
And  quiver  at  the  magic  touch 
Of  genius.     And  at  last  we  know 
That  gifts  and  powers  such  as  thine 
Could  not  from  common  sources  flow. 

And  truly  thou  hast  never  seen 

As  others  saw.     Nor  hast  thou  thought 

As  ordinary  mortals  think; 

Thy  soul's  deep  agonies  have  wrought 

An  innovation.     Sorrow  stands 

All  clothed  in  beauty,  soft  and  gray, 

And  pain  and  suffering  doth  command 

The  world's  respect  to-day. 

Life's  thunder  clouds  are  beautified, 

And  by  the  touch  of  artist  hands 

The  leaden  skies  somehow  reflect 

The  glorious  light  of  other  lands. 


[61] 


Thou  haunted  child,  the  fires  of  fate 
Have  ever  kindled  round  thy  soul; 
But  they  have  burned  the  dross  away, 
And  left  to  us  the  gold. 
And  all  the  moans  and  all  the  groans, 
The  sighing  and  the  sobbing, 
The  yearning  and  the  burning, 
And  the  horrible  heart-throbbing, 
"The  pain  called  Living"  conquered, 
Thou  art  loved  as  ne'er  before; 
And  thy  soul  from  out  the  shadows 
Has  been  lifted  evermore. 


[62] 


THE  NEWLY-WED 

THE  world  is  big  and  the  world  is  wide, 

Bigger  than  just  you  two; 
So  don't  walk  over  it  side  by  side, 

As  if  it  were  built  for  you, 
And  you  alone.     There  are  others,  dear, — 

So  many  along  life's  road — 
Who  need  just  the  help  you  two  can  give 

To  lighten  their  weary  load. 

You  love  each  other,  so  you  are  strong 

In  strength  of  love  united; 
Convert  no  right  into  a  wrong, 

But  see  that  wrongs  are  righted; 
For  love  is  bigger  than  just  you  two, 

She   covers   the   whole   creation, — 
A  limitless  way  you  now  pursue 

Of  boundless  compensation. 


[63] 


True  love  embraces  the  universe, 

'Tis  high  as  heaven,  and  higher; 
She   links  you   two   for  "good   or  worse' 

To  work  out  her  desire. 
Too  wise  is  she  to  lead  astray, 

Too  good  to  e'er  deceive  you ; 
But  if  you  try  to  "form  a  trust," 

She'll  surely  turn  and  leave  you. 

So  let  your  love  be  brave  and  strong, 

And  broad  and  firm  and  true ; 
Take  all  humanity  along, 

As  you  your  way  pursue. 
For  love  is  far  too  great  and  wide 

To  shelter  just  a  few; 
She  cannot  leave  the  world  outside 

And  fondle  only  you ; 
For,  oh,  the  world  is  big,  my  dear, 

And  you  are  only  two. 


[64] 


"GONA" 

I  LIKE  the  English-speaking  folk, 

Their  language,  sweet  and  clear 
Falls  in  harmonious  cadences 

Upon  the  cultured  ear. 
Ambitious  in  philosophy, 

In  science  up  to  date; 
In  mathematics,  unexcelled, 

They  wax  exceeding  great. 
A  people  truly  marvelous, 

Progressing  every  hour; 
A  forward  and  ambitious  race 

Of  intellectual  power. 
And  yet,  with  all  these  qualities, 

Recorded,  praised  and  sung, 
They  murder,  with  relentless  heart, 

Their  own,  their  mother  tongue. 
When  first  I  came  a  stranger  here, 

I  said:  "This  cannot  be 
The  language  I  have  learned  so  well, 

These  people  talk  to  me 
In  words  and  phrases  all  unknown, 

Unheard-of  heretofore ; 
They  drop  the  middle  syllables, 

And  endings  quite  ignore. 
[65] 


There's  no  such  thing  as  i-n-g, 

And  pronouns  have  no  case." 
But  what  impressed  me  most  of  all 

Was  Mr.  Cona's  grace. 
For  weeks  I  wondered  why  it  was 

That  every  man  I  met 
Said :  "I'm  a  gona,  I'm  a  gona — 

I  was  quite  beset 
With  gonas  of  most  varied  kinds, 

A  family  most  diverse; 
'Twas  gona  this  and  gona  that, 

And  gona  bad  and  worse. 

And  every  man  in  all  the  land 

Was  gona,  gona  do ; 
Each  woman  was  a  gona, 

And  all  the  children  too ! 
My  head  was  fairly  in  a  whirl, 

And  ere  I  half  suspected, 
The  microbe  germinated, 

And  I  too  was  infected. 
O  awful  transformation! 

Can  it  be  really  true, 
I'm   gona  get  demoralized, 

And  gona  talk  like  you? 
Beloved  English  brothers, 

Is  your  "gona"  on  my  brain? 
And  am  /  gona  do  and  be, 

And  gona  go  insane? 

[66] 


Ah  yes,  already  I  can  feel 

My  tongue  a  gettin'  thick; 
And  oh,  I'm  gona  go  and  know 

Provincial   rhetoric! 
I'm  gona  blame  and  put  to  shame 

The  boastful  egotist, 
I'm  gona  see  if  /  can  be 

A  fine  grammarianist. 
I'm  gona  live  and  gona  give, 

And  gona  talk  like  you, 
I'm  gona  be  correct,  you  see, 

And  gona,  gona  do — 
A  lot  o'  things,  and  gona  prove 

Before  I  half  get  through, 
That  an  educated  foreigner 

Can  be  a  gona  too. 
I'm  gona  go  and  gona  show 

You,  as  my  power  increases, 
That  though  a  novice,  I'm  agona 

Beat  you  all  to  pieces! 


[67] 


"AND  FEW  THERE  BE  THAT  FIND  IT" 

SHE  was  a  maiden,  beautiful  and  gifted, 
Whom   nature  had   endowed  with  rich   supply 
Of  power.     With  added  wealth  and  fame  she 

reveled 

In  all  the  world  bestows  or  gold  can  buy. 
Each   shallow   well  of  earth  was   sought   and 

drunken, 

Each  fountainhead  of  dissipation  gained; 
Each  pleasure   and  each  joy   the  world  could 

offer 

Was  found,  and  every  broken  cistern  drained. 
But  oh,  the  longing  and  the  burning  pain, 
The  hunger  and  the  thirst  endured  each  day ! 
Intensifying,  as  she  sought  in  vain 
The  thirst  to  quench,  the  hunger  to  allay. 


[68] 


Ah,   Satisfaction !    Thou  art  so  evasive ! 

A  bright  mirage,  enticing  us  in  vain ; 

Thy    sparkling   streams    and   waving   branches 

mock  us, 

As  ever  in  the  distance  they  remain. 
Each  day  some  new  attraction  was  presented, 
Each  day  her  longing  spirit  tried  once  more 
To  satisfy,  but  with  each  vain  endeavor 
She  found  herself  more  hungry  than  before. 
And  yet,  with  all  the  striving  and  the  yearning, 
She  mingled  with  the  gayest  of  the  gay ; 
And  no  one  saw  the  hidden  embers  burning, 
Nor  knew  the  sorrows  deeply  hid  away. 

And  thus  the  years  passed  wearily  and  slowly, 

The  hunger  of  her  spirit  unallayed, 

Till  one  day,  stricken  with  a  nameless  sorrow, 

In  agony  of  soul  she  knelt  and  prayed. 

For  though  her  soul  had  sought  for  joy  and 

gladness, 

She  now  was  forced  to  find  a  hopeless  woe; 
She  saw  a  pathway,  dark  and  uninviting, 
Whose  thorny  way  her  tottering  feet  must  go. 
In  shadows  of  a  dark  Gethsemane, 
She  lingered,  till  the  victory  had  been  won. 
Then   up   the  rugged  heights  of  Calvary 
She  bore  the  heavy  cross  of  shame  alone. 


[69] 


Alone?  One  walked  before,  Whose  steps  she 
followed, 

Whose  bleeding  footsteps  marked  the  rocky 
way; 

This  was  the  path  of  death,  whose  night  of 
anguish 

Precedes  the  glorious  Resurrection  day! 

Her  tired  feet  were  torn  and  bruised  and  bleed- 
ing* 

She  staggered  'neath  the  weight  of  what  she 
bore; 

The  cross  was  heavy;  yet,  with  faith  unwaver- 
ing* 

She  bravely  followed  Him  Who  walked  before, 

And  through  the  "narrow  way"  her  broken 
spirit 

Was  led  to  where  the  Christ  could  make  it 
whole ; 

And,  like  Him,  she  found  satisfaction 

When  she  had  seen  the  "travail  of  her  send" 


[70] 


"THE  LAST  SHALL  BE  FIRST" 

To  the  gates  of  Paradise  one  day 

Came  a  woman,  old  and  worn  and  gray ; 
No  victories  won,  no  triumphs  great, 

Could  she  present  at  the  golden  gate. 
No  noble  deeds,  no  records  fair, 

Could  gain    for   her   an   entrance   there. 
For  she'd  done  nothing  but  Avork  each  day 

At  home,  in  the  old-time,  busy  way. 
From  dawn  till  noon,  from  noon  till  late, 

She  worked  and  struggled  for  children  eight. 
She   therefore  brought  no  trophies   sweet, 

Nor  gifts  to  lay  at  the  Master's  feet. 
She  sat  in  the  distance,  and  worshiped  afar, 

Asking  no  crown  nor  a  single  star. 
Humble  on  earth,   she  was  humble   still, 

Seeking  the  humblest  place  to  fill. 
But  lo!  as  she  sought  the  lowest  place, 

The  King's  own  glory  filled  her  face. 
Hundreds   and  thousands   of  angel   forms 

Hovered  around  her  with  glorious  songs. 
A  crown  of  myriad  stars  so  bright 

Almost  blinded  her  wondering  sight ; 
'Twas  placed  upon  her  honored  head, 

While  angels,  hovering  'round  her,  said: 
[71] 


"For  years  eight  pairs  of  willing  hands 

Have  worked  for  God  in  many  lands. 
You  only  saved  your  boys,  you  plead; 

They  each  have  found  more  souls  in  need 
Than  you  could  find,  had  you  but  tried 

To  do  a  little  work  outside. 
Surely  a  work  is  better  done 

When  eight  are  doing  instead  of  one. 
So  rest  in  peace,  those  boys  so  dear 

Saved  all  this  throng  of  angels  here, 
And  more  are  coming  every  day 

Who,  through  them,  found  the  narrow  way. 
Never  was  work  more  nobly  done, 

Never  a  crown  more  truly  won ; 
Never  was   trophy  more  hardly  bought, 

Never  a  battle  more  fiercely  fought; 
Never  a  field  more  broad  and  vast 

Than  that  which  you  have  overcast. 
For  while  you  mingle  with  this  throng, 

Your  labor  still  is  going  on. 
And  while  you  rest  within  the  gate, 

Your  work  is  being  done  by  eight. 
Where  ends  the  work  you've  done  so  well, 

ETERNITY  alone  can  tell." 


[72] 


THE  DAISY'S   SECRET 

MY  garden  was  a  paradise  of  color  and  per- 
fume, 

The  very  air  around  it  seemed  bursting  into 
bloom. 

The  sunshine  was  so  yellow,  the  grasses  were  so 
green, 

And  the  roses  and  peonies  the  reddest  ever  seen. 

Every  color  of  the  rainbow  sparkled  in  the  sun 
and  dew, 

And  the  glowing  blossoms  nodded  as  the  morn- 
ing breezes  blew. 

I  reveled  in  the  beauty,  as  I  breathed  the 
scented  air, 

My  soul  was  filled  with  music  and  my  heart 
was  free  from  care. 

And  when  I  viewed  my  Eden  in  the  early  golden 
light, 

My  spirit  rose  within  me  till  it  reached  a  dizzy 
height ; 

Till  enveloped  in  the  mazes  of  color  and  per- 
fume, 

I  found  myself  attracted  by  a  modest  little 
bloom. 

[73] 


A  commonplace  creation  in  a  little  frill  of 
white 

Around  a  heart  of  purest  gold  had  ventured 
into  sight. 

It  stood  outside  the  garden.  Beyond  it 
stretched  the  green 

Of  meadows ;  and  still  further  on,  a  shady  wood 
is  seen. 

I  hear  the  merry,  trickling  sound  of  waters, 
sweet  and  clear, 

The  babbling  murmur  of  a  tiny  brooklet  flow- 
ing near. 

I  crossed  to  where  the  daisy  stood,  in  sweet 
humility, 

I  bent  to  hear  its  breathing,  and  it  whispered 
unto  me 

A  secret!  Shall  I  tell  you?  Ah  no,  I  can- 
not find 

Words  to  express  the  secret  of  a  little  daisy's 
mind. 

But  an  ecstasy  no  longer  pervaded  heart  and 
brain, 

And  the  music  in  my  bosom  took  on  a  softer 
strain. 


[7*] 


I  kissed  the  snowy  petals  and  the  little  heart  of 
gold, 

And  hid  within  my  bosom  the  secret  that  it 
told; 

And  softer  shades  stole  silently  and  settled 
everywhere, 

A  calmness  and  a  stillness  filled  all  the  earth 
and  air; 

A  holy  solitude  prevailed ;  I  knew  that  God  was 
there, 

And  my  spirit  rose  to  meet  Him  in  sweet  ador- 
ing prayer. 


[75] 


A  QUESTION 

IF  no  one  knew  that  you  and  I 

Performed  the  loving  deed; 
If  no  one  knew  whose  hand  supplied 

The  wants  of  those  in  need; 
If  no  one  knew,  and  no  one  cared 

Whether  we  of  our  bounty  spared, 
Save  One,  Who  dwells  in  heaven  above; 

Would  we  perform  the  deed  of  love? 
If  no  one  knew  or  praised  our  name, 

Would  we  perform  it  just  the  same? 

If  friends  should  doubt  and  misconstrue 
The  motives  of  the  good  we  do, 

And  persecute  us  day  by  day 

By  all  that  they  could  do  and  say ; 

If  censure  in  her  scorn  should  rise 
Our  every  effort  to  despise; 

If  grief  and  sorrow  also   came, 

And  grave  suspicion  brought  our  name 

Down  low  to  whisperings  of  shame; 
Would  we  perform  the  loving  deed, 
And  help  supply  our  brother's  need? 
[76] 


Ah,  wherein  dwells  the  sweet  desire? 

What  motives  do  our  work  inspire? 
Would  we  count  everything  but  loss, 

And  glory  only  in  the  cross 
Of  Jesus,  crucified? 

And  would  our  hearts  be  satisfied, 
And  still  delight  His  will  to  do, 

If  no  one  saw,  and  no  one  knew? 
Would  you  and  I  so  joyful  be 

If  there  were  none  to  know  or  see; 
And  none  to  praise  the  good  we  do? 
Would  you  and  I  be  just  as  true, 

If  no  one  knew? 


[77] 


ACCOMPANYING  A  WEDDING  GIFT 

I  WOULD  not  ask  the  sun  to  shine 

Unclouded  on  thy  wedded  way ; 

I  would  not  ask  for  thee  and  thine 

A  bright  and  endless  day; 

But  I  would  ask  the  clouds  to  lower, 

And  even  darkest  night  descend, 

If  only  strength  and  spirit  power 

Would  fill  your  souls  each  passing  hour, 

And  keep  you  to  the  end. 

All  sunshine  would  a  desert  make, 

An  endless  day  destructive  be; 

So  may  a  wise  and  heavenly  hand 

Adjust  the  light  and  shade  for  thee. 


[78] 


TO  MABLE  CLARE 

LITTLE  white  rose-bud,  so  dainty  and  pure, 
Storms  of  this  life  thou  couldst  never  endure ; 
So  ere  the  heat  of  the  mid-summer  day, 
The  Master  hath  plucked  thee  and  borne  thee 

away. 

Borne  thee  away  to  a  garden  more  fair; 
Storms    cannot   hurt    thee    when    sheltered    up 

there. 

Winds  cannot  scatter  thy  petals  afar, 
Nothing  can  blight  thee  and  nothing  can  mar. 

Dear  little  rose-bud,  so  fragile  and  white, 
Plucked    from    a    garden    where    storms    ever 

blight, 

Thou  art  transplanted  to  blossom  above, 
Tended  and  sheltered  by  infinite  love. 
Would  I  recall  thee  to  blossom  below, 
Scorched   by  the  sunshine   and   chilled  by  the 

snow? 

No !  Thou  shalt  never  by  life's  storms  be  riven ; 
Gladly  I  give  thee  to  blossom  in  heaven. 
[79] 


THE  SUNNY  SIDE 

THE  flowers  on  the  window  shelf  are  very  sweet 

and  bright, 
But  they  always  grow  one-sided  if  I  do  not 

turn  them  right. 

"And  what  is  right?"  I  hear  you  ask.     Just 

daily  turned  around, 
Until  the  light  from  yonder  sun  each  barren 

spot  has  found. 

The  sun's  attractive  powers  draw  the  side  that 

is  exposed, 
Till  tiny  buds  and  blossoms  spring, — and  thus 

The  flower  grows. 

So  many  faulty  human  plants  this  lesson  will 

not  learn, 
They  always  grow  one-sided  because  they  will 

not  turn. 

Their  branches  weak  and  tender  should  receive 

a  little  light, 
They  need  to  face  the  sun  awhile,  if  they  would 

grow  aright. 

[80] 


PUBLIC  OFFICE 

IF  you're  in  the  lumber  business, 

Run  a  farm  or  keep  a  store; 
If  you  follow  a  profession, 

With  a  card  upon  your  door; 
If  you're  runnin'  of  a  saw-mill, 

Or  a'  workin'  turpentine; 
From  a'  peddlin'  pins  and  needles 

To  the  workin'  of  a  mine: 
No  one  cares  to  criticise  you 

If  you  save  or  spend  or  lose ; 
You  can  squander  all  your  dollars, 

Or  may  bank  them,  if  you  choose. 
Liberty  is  ever  granted 

To  the  pioneer  or  novice, 
For  to  use  his  own.     Exceptin' 

When  you're  holdin'  public  office, 
May  the  Lord  have  mercy  on  you, 

Grant  you  all-sustainin'  grace 
If  you  work  and  make  your  livin' 

In   this  awful,  awful  place. 
For  no  matter  what  you're  makin', 

You  can  never  dare  control  it; 
Save  or  spend  it,  bank  or  lend  it, 

Everybody  knows  you  stole  it. 
[81] 


TWICE  HID 

"I  SHALL  not  fear  what  man  can  do," 

No  fiery  dart  nor  word  untrue, 

No  look  of  scorn  nor  censure  rife 

Can  in  the  least  affect  my  life. 

No  strife  nor  storm  which  man  can  brew, 

No  methods  which  his  wiles  pursue, 

No  poisoned  arrow  he  can  fling, 

No  accusation  he  can  bring, 

Can  ever  touch  my  soul,  ah  no! 

Safe  and  secure  from  mortal  foe 

I  dwell.     "With  Christ  in  God  I  hide," 

No  danger  can  my  soul  betide. 

And  though  the  storms  without  may  rage, 

No  fear  doth  e'er  my  soul  engage. 

Such  safe  protection  must  suffice, 

For  lo!  my  soul  is  hidden  twice. 


[8*] 


THE  CASTAWAY 

SHE  was  dead !     And  nobody  came  to  moan,  no 

loved  one  lingered  near; 
In   the  coffin-shop   she   lay   alone,   and  nobody 

shed  a  tear. 

Who  was  it  came  in  the  silent  night, 
As  she  lay  so  still  and  cold  and  white; 
When  never  a  trace  of  her  sin  she  bore, — 
To  look  at  her  sad,  sweet  face  once  more? 

Who  was  it  came?     Her  brothers  in  sin!     They 

crowded  around  the  bier, 
And   gazed   at   the   fragile   form   within; — but 

nobody  shed  a  tear ! 
Nobody  moaned  that  she  was  gone, 
For  the  only  friends  whom  she  had  known, 
Had  never  a  tear  to  shed; 
So  nobody  grieved  that  she  was  dead. 

They  knew  as  they  stood  in  the  silence  there, 

and  looked  at  the  poor  wan  face, 
Of  censure  and  blame  they  had  no  share,  nor 

sting  in  the  dire  disgrace. 
They  still  might  stand  with  a  head  erect, 
And  never  lack  for  the  world's  respect ; 
For  living  or  dead,  they  still  might  claim 
The  best  of  friends  and  a  virtuous  name ! 
[83] 


But  she  whose  life  they  had  helped  to  blight 

lacked  even  a  place  to  die, 
And  the  earth  itself  refused  a  site  for  a  grave 

in  which  to  lie. 

So  they  carried  her  out  to  the  potter's  field, 
In  the  early  morning  hours; 
And  nobody  followed  the  lonely  bier, 
Nor  strewed  the  grave  with  flowers. 

The   twitter    of   birds   was   the   funeral    dirge, 

while  the  sobbing  winds,  made  moan, 
And  the  dewdrops  wept  for  the  child  that  slept, 

outcast,   forsaken,  alone. 
O  heaven,  grant  what  the  world  denies, 
Some  measure  of  pity  show; 
Prepare  some  place  in  the  starry  skies, 
Where  the  fallen  child  may  go! 


[84] 


SELF'S  TRIAL  OF  SELF 

IT  is  not  hard  to  satisfy  what  others  may  re- 
quire, 

Nor   is  it  hard   for   us   to   grant  what   other 
men  desire. 

'Tis  easy  to  insure  good  will  so  long  as  we  are 
pleasing, 

If  we  but  flatter  and  caress,  men's  praises  flow 
unceasing. 

If  life  were  nothing  but  to  please  and  satisfy 
our  neighbor, 

Each   man  his   conscience   might   appease   and 
save  himself  much  labor. 

A  smile;  a  few  well  chosen  words;  an  interest 
and  attention ; 

Decided  preference  shown   for  each,  avoidance 
of  contention; 

Small  favors  that  would  manifest  a  deep  con- 
sideration : 

These,   with   a  sympathy   expressed,  will   gain 
his  approbation. 

[85] 


'Tis  easy  other  men  to  please,  but  have  you 

e'er  reflected 
How  hard  it  is  to  be  and  do  all  that  yourself 

expected  ? 
The  man  within  you  doth  require  more  than  the 

man  without  you, 
And  self  is  more  exacting  far  than  any  man 

about  you. 
So    many    standards     have    been    raised    and 

placed  for  our  attainment, 
And  many  judges  sit  in  state  for  mortal  man's 

arraignment. 
But   strange  to   say,   each  judge  may  be   the 

dupe  of  some  deception ; 
Their    standards    vary    every   day,    and   there 

is  much  deflection. 

One  only  standeth  firm  and  true,  defying  con- 
troversy,— 
And  self,  the  gravest  judge  of  all,  condemns  us 

without  mercy. 


[86] 


SWEET  SHRUBS 

THE  tiny  brown  thing  in  my  hand 
Can  scarce  be  called  a  bloom; 
So  unattractive  to  the  eye, 
The  petals  stiff  and  closely  lie, 
Emitting  no  perfume. 

I  crush  it  harshly  in  my  palm, 
When  lo!  to  my  surprise 
A  heavenly  fragrance  fills  the  room, 
A  sweet  and  ravishing  perfume 
From  the  crushed  petals  rise. 

I  lay  me  in  my  Father's  hand, 
— A  life  without  perfume ; 
In  earth's  degenerate  garden  born, 
No  bright  and  glowing  shades  adorn 
The  stiff  and  blighted  bloom. 

I  dare  not  question  what  He  does, 
He  knows  what  He's  about; 
If  aught  of  good  doth  in  me  hide, 
If  any  sweetness  there  abide; 
He  crushes,  till  He  brings  it  out. 
[87] 


HIDDEN  TREASURES 

DAY  by  day  the  work  went  on, 

The  earth's  great  bosom  was  rent  and  torn ; 
As  men  digged  down  with  relentless  stroke, 

Till  her  bosom   heaved   and   her  heart  was 

broke. 
But  a  way  was  made  to  the  depths  below, 

Where  gems  were  hid  in  a  golden  glow; 
And  day  by  day  as  time  went  by, 

When   the   earth   had   ceased  to  moan   and 

sigh, 
I  saw  brought  forth  in  boundless  measure 

The  richest  and  best  of  her  hidden  treasure ; 
For  deep  in  the  broken  heart  there  lay 

The  richest  gems  ever  hid  away. 

Day  by  day  the  work  goes  on, 

The  bosom  of  man  is  rent  and  torn, 

As  spiritual  forces  daily  try 

To  open  the  depths  where  the  treasures  lie. 

The  bosom  may  heave  and  the  heart  may  break, 
But  forces  of  God  make  no  mistake. 
[88] 


The  flesh  is  pierced,  till  the  real  and  true 
Of  man's  best  nature  is  brought  to  view. 

Destroying  the  forces  of  self  and  sin, 
The  Christ  is  working  His  way  within. 

For  He  knows  that  the  rarest  treasures  start 
And  have  their  root  in  a  broken  heart. 


[89] 


ACCOMPANYING  A   GIFT  OF 
"THOUGHTS" 

MANY  have  sent  thee  gifts  to-day. 
Which  loving  hands  have  wrought; 
Treasures  from  home  and  far-away 
Love's  tender  hands  have  brought. 
A  miscellany  doubtless  shows 
Some  things  which  money  bought. 
I   longed  to   add  some   little   thing, 
To  bring  one  trophy  more; 
And  wondered  much  what  gift  I'd  bring 
To  swell  the  gracious  store. 

I  looked  in  all  the  shops  and  stores, 
On  every  laden  shelf; 
And  then,  dear  friend,  I  sat  me  down 
And  looked  into  myself. 
I  searched  my  heart.     Some  cherished  truths 
Were  soon  disclosed  to  me; 
I  brought  them  forth,  and  wrote  them  down, 
And  simple  though  they  be, 
They  are  the  treasures  of  my  heart, 
Which  I  divide  with  thee. 
[90] 


ONE  YEAR  IN  HEAVEN 

TO  MABLE-CLARE 

ONE  year  ago  thy  house  of  clay 

Was  left  to  ruin  and  decay ; 
While  thou,  thyself,  ascended  high 

To  brighter  realms  beyond  the  sky. 
Ah,   wondrous   change,  what  glories  thine! 

What  peace,  what  joys  about  thee  shine! 
No  sickness  and  no  sorrow  given, 
No  pain  nor  tears  for  thee,  in  heaven. 

One  year  in  heaven!    How  sublime 

The  thought  to  us,  and  yet  the  time 
Which  we  have  spent  has  been  in  tears  ; 

The  sorrow  and  the  pain  of  years 
Have  flowed  from  out  these  hearts  of  ours, 
Since  on  thy  breast  the  orange  flowers 
Were  placed,  with  roses,  sweet  and  fair, 
Whose  perfume  filled  the  morning  air. 

[91] 


One  year  in  heaven,  from  sorrow  free; 

No  fear,  no  pain,  no  tears  for  thee. 
What  paths  of  peace  thy  feet  have  trod, 

Since  thou  hast  been  one  year  with  God ! 
Yet  all  the  years  that  thou  shalt  be 

In  heaven's  vast  eternity, 
Shall  take  none  from  its  endless  store, 

Thy  joys  shall  live  forevermore. 

We're  one  year  nearer  thee  to-day 

Than  when  thy  spirit  passed  away. 
We're  one  year  closer  to  the  goal 

That  waits  for  every  faithful  soul. 
And  while  our  hearts  still  ache  and  yearn, 

We  would  not  have  thee  to  return. 
We  know  that  we  shall  come  to  thee, 

And  where  thou  art,  we  soon  shall  be. 


[92] 


THE  JUDGMENT 

WHAT  would  I  have  my  Lord  to  say, 
When  He  shall  judge  my  life,  some  day? 
Would  I  rejoice  to  have  my  name 
Read  from  a  weighty  roll  of  fame, 
And  hear  Him  say :  "Lo,  she  was  great, 
She  ranked  as  First  in  earthly  state. 
Her  genius  stirred  the  depths  of  thought, 
And  great  the  wonders  that  she  wrought. 
In  word  or  work  I  find  no  flaws, 
She  merited  the  world's  applause. 
Her  name  was  first,  the  greatest,  best, 
As  judged  by  man's  severest  test"? 
Not  thus,  not  thus !  My  Lord,  ah,  no ! 
I  would  not  have  Thee  judge  me  so. 
For  first  on  earth,  the  last  shall  be; 
The  great  shall  be  the  least  with  Thee ! 
No,  Master,  let  me  hear  Thee  say : 
"She  was  the  last  and  least,  alway. 
For   Me   she  lived,   and    for  My   cause 
She  worked;  nor  sought  the  world's  applause. 
Her  humble  service  hath  withstood 
The  test  of  fire.     I  find  it  good ; 
For  lo!  she  hath  done  what  she  could!" 
[93] 


THE  BREVITY  OF  LIFE 

"We  spend  our  years  as  a  tale  that  is  told." 

And  the  whole  world  hears  the  story; 

Does  it  bring  to  the  name  of  the  Heavenly  King 

All  honor  and  praise  and  glory? 

'Tis  one  of  the  tales  that  is  not  twice  told, 

Only  once  'tis  briefly  spoken ; 

Say,  what  would  your  life  and  mine  speak  out 

If  the  tale  were  suddenly  broken? 

"We  spend  our  lives  as  a  tale  that  is  told," 
"We  all  do  fade  as  a  leaf ;" 
"As  the  grass  of  the  field"  we  fade  away, 
"As  a  flower"  our  days  are  brief. 
"As  a  shadow  declineth"  our  years  are  spent, 
"A  wind  that  passeth  away ;" 
Thou  hast  made  "as  a  hairbreadth  our  pilgrim- 
age here;" 
And  given  us  "dwellings  of  clay." 


[94] 


"Our  breath  is  corrupt  and  our  days  are  ex- 
tinct," 

The  graves  stand  open  for  all; 
"To  the  land  of  darkness  and  shadow  of  death, 
We  hasten  to  answer  the  call. 
"Lord  make  us  to  know  our  measure  of  days" 
And  fill  them  with  knowledge  and  power; 
O,  grant  that  we  honor  and  glorify  Thee, 
Even  though  we  "fade  as  a  flower." 

Even  though  "as  a  shadow  we  vanish  away ;" 
Though  our  "years  are  spent  as  a  sleep ;" 
Though  "carried  away  as  with  a  great  flood," 
Still  over  us  vigilance  keep. 
O,  guard  Thou  our  days,  our  months  and  our 

years, 

And  grant  they  may  glorify  Thee ; 
May   they  be   as   full   of  Thy   knowledge  and 

power, 
"As  waters  that  cover  the  sea." 

The  life  that  we  live  is  the  tale  that  we  tell, 
Only  once  'tis  briefly  spoken; 
Say,  what  would  your  life  and  mine  speak  out, 
If  the  tale  were  suddenly  broken? 


[95] 


RELIGIOUS 


SELF-DENIAL 

"DENY  thyself!"  The  Master  says  to  me, 
And  in  the  circumstances  of  each  hour 
He  shows  me  what  this  self-denial  means 
And  teaches  me  the  secret  of  its  power. 
'Tis  in  the  little  things  of  life,  each  day, 
—The  common-place  conditions  of  my  lot; 
The  Master  comes,  and  in  His  loving  way 
Shows  things  forbid,  and  sayeth:  "Thou  shalt 

not." 

"Deny  thyself"  means  just  to  lay  on  Him 
The  things  that  check  our  progress  on  the  road 
To  heaven;  laying  our  weary  burdens  down 
And  trusting  Him  to  bear  the  heavy  load. 
To  yield  the  things  that  hinder  and  impede, 
And  get,  in  turn,  the  things  that  satsify; 
To  yield  earth's  scanty  tribute  to  our  need, 
And  draw  on  heaven  for  every  rich  supply. 


[99] 


MATTHEW  25 :  41,  46 

LORD,   when   didst  Thou  come  hungry,  and  I 

refuse  to  feed? 
When  didst  Thou  come  a  stranger,  and  I  not 

know  Thy  need? 
When  didst  Thou  come  in  sickness  and  sorrow 

unto  me? 
And  when  wast  Thou  in  prison,  and  I  not  visit 

Thee? 
"Ah   verily,"    He   answered:   "Each   time   thy 

brother  came 

To  ask  thy  ministration,  he  pleaded  in  My  name. 
In  countless  ways,  disguised  I  came  and  asked 

thee  for  relief; 
In  want,  in  suffering  and  shame,  I  brought  to 

thee  my  grief. 

"I  often  came  an  hungered,  and  many  times  I 

pled 

Just  for  a  cup  of  water  or  for  a  crust  of  bread. 
Sometimes    I    looked    unworthy    and    ragged, 

worn  and  poor; 
And  oft  as  a  stranger  have  I  knocked  upon 

thy  door. 

[100] 


And  one  day  when  thy  house  was  full,  when 

sorest  burdens  pressed, 
And  thou  wast  sick ;  I  came  to  thee,  thy  love  to 

fully  test. 
As  Abram's  royal  visitors,  disguised  I  passed 

thy  way; 
But  thou  didst  not  invite  me  to  rest  with  thee 

that  day. 

"Thy   reasoning  was   so   logical   that   I   could 

clearly  see 
That  though  thy  house  was  spacious,  there  was 

no  room  for  me. 
But   ah,   if  thou  hadst   known   Me,   and  what 

thou  wouldst  have   gained, 
The  room  would  somehow  have  been  made,  and 

I  would  have  remained." 
And   thus   it   is   from   time  to  time,   the  loved 

and  unloved  come 
To  ask  some  benediction;  to  share  our  hearts 

and  home. 
—The  Lord,  disguised!  He  comes  to  test  His 

children  day  by  day ; 
Ah,  dare  we  scorn  His  pleading  voice,  and  turn 

our  Lord  away? 


[101] 


"HE  PROVETH  YOU" 

THY   feet   may   walk  in   shadowed   ways,   thy 

heart  with  pain  may  heavy  be ; 
But  "Fear  not,  for  thy  God  is  come,  and  He 

but  proveth  thee." 
Sorrows  may  come  and  anguish  sore  may  rage 

within  thy  heaving  breast; 
But  be  thou  not  cast  down,  for  thus  God  often 

brings  his  test. 
The    days    may   bring   but   joyless   hours,   the 

night  may  dark  and  heavy  be ; 
But    God    moves    in    each    circumstance,    and 

through  them  proveth  thee. 
No   matter  what  may   be  thy  lot,  no  matter 

whither  thou  dost  move: 
In  every  detail  of  thy  life,  the  Master  comes 

to  prove. 

If  thou  wilt  but  submissive  be  and  daily  bear 

the  test, 
He'll  lead  thee  up  to  higher  ground  and  thou 

shalt  be  more  fully  blest. 
For  after  thou  hast  bravely  stood  the  test  of 

water  and  of  fire, 
He'll  show  thee  wondrous  things,  and  give  to 

thee  thy  heart's  desire. 
[102] 


Then  falter  not,  accept  God's  plan,  and  ask  for 
eyes  of  faith  to  see 

"The  wealthy  place  which  lies  beyond"  the 
tests  which  come  to  thee. 

Beyond  the  water  and  the  fire  lies  an  experi- 
ence, rich  and  rare, 

Where  thou  canst  say :  "He  tries  my  heart,  and 
findest  nothing  there." 


[103] 


"WHATSOEVER  YE   DO" 

LORD,  if  I  may  not  use  Thee  in  my  daily  life, 
In  the  small  tasks  that  come  from  hour  to 

hour; 

If,  in  the  petty  trials,  in  the  jar  and  strife, 
I  may  not   call   on   Thee   for  strength   and 

grace  and  power: 
Then  why,  O  Lord,  hast  Thou  entreated  me 

To  come  to  Thee  when  weary,  and  find  rest? 
Why  hast  Thou  offered  me  Thy  yoke,  and  bid- 
den me 
To  find  in  Thee  the  sweetest  and  the  best? 

Why  hast  Thou  said  Thou  art  a  help  in  time 
of  need, 

If,  when  I  need  Thee  most,  Thou  must  deny? 
Why  hast  Thou  said  Thou  art  a  mighty  Rock, 

If  I  unto  that  fortress  may  not  fly? 
And,  Lord,  if  Thou  art  water  in  a  weary  land, 

Surely,  when  in  my  work  I  strive  to  honor 

Thee, 
Thou  wilt  permit  my  thirsty  soul  to  drink 

The  Living  Waters,  clear  and  pure  and  free ! 


[104] 


If,  as  a  Father,  Thou  dost  pity  me, 

Then  give  me  zeal  and  knowledge,  give  me 

power, 
That  I  may  give  Thee  glory  in  the  work  I  do 

And  honor  in  the  tasks  of  every  hour. 
Why  hast  Thou  said  Thou  art  a  shelter  in  the 

storm, 
If  from  those  storms  Thou  wilt  not  let  me 

hide? 
O  God,  if  in  my  daily  life  Thou  dost  not  walk 

with  me 
My  soul  shall  find  no  other  help  beside. 

Wilt  Thou  not  shelter  me,  and  in  my  work  each 

day 

Stand  by  and  show  me  how  to  honor  Thee  ? 
Let  those  who  look  upon  me  in  my  labor  say : 

"Just  see  how  strong  a  child  of  God  can  be !" 

Let  everything  be  done  as  unto  God,  my  King, 

And  may  I  honor  Thee  in  things  both  great 

and  small, 
Oh  give  me  might  to  do  whate'er  my  hands  may 

find, 
And  in  my  work  may  Christ  be  "All  in  All." 


[105] 


UNSEEN  FORCES 

"HE  maketh  his  angels  spirits,  his  ministers, 

flaming  fire,"  (Heb.  1:  7) 
He  sendeth  His  hosts  in  danger  to  work  out  His 

desire. 
"Are  they  not  ministering  spirits"  sent  forth 

from  God  above?  (Heb.  1 :  14) 
To  heirs  of  His  salvation,  the  objects  of  His 

love  ? 

O'er  thee  He  gives  His  angels  charge  to  keep 
in  all  thy  ways;  (Psa.  91:  11) 

Wilt  thou  not  trust  the  heavenly  hosts  his  ban- 
ner wide  to  raise? 

They'll  bear  thee  up,  lest  thou  shouldst  dash 
thy  foot  against  a  stone; 

He  will  not  suffer  thee  to  stray  nor  ever  be 
alone. 

With  thee  He  sends  his  angels  to  prosper  all 

thy  way;  (Gen.  24:  40) 
He  goeth  on  before  thee  to  make  thy  path  like 

day.  (Isa.  58:  10) 
Chariots,     twenty     thousand,     a     great     and 

mighty  throng,  (Psa.  68:  17) 
He  sends  for  thy  protection  to  guard  thy  way 

along. 

[106] 


Ah,  let  us  dare  to  tread  the  way  the  faithful 

ever  trod, 
For  wonderful  and  great  and  strong  are  forces 

of  our  God. 
Imbued  with  power,  they  move  along, — unseen, 

unheard  and  still; 
They  come  as  "messengers  of  God"  to  do  His 

holy  will. 


[107] 


"TRADITION  OF  MEN" 

LORD,  I  would  magnify  Thee  in  my  body  day 
by  day,  (Phil.  1 :20) 

And  seek  to  glorify  Thee  in  Thine  own  ap- 
pointed way.  (I  Cor.  6:  20) 

But  doctrines  new  and  strange  have  come  and 
filled  my  heart  with  grief: 

They  call  this  body  Thou  hast  made:  "Erro- 
neous belief." 

"The  Lord  is  for  the  body,  and  the  body  for 
the  Lord;"   (I  Cor.  6:  13) 

"The    sound   old    doctrine"    teaches    in    Thine 
inspired  Word. 

But  now,  alas !  they  tell  us  the  body  Thou  didst 
make 

From  earth's  material  substance  was  all  a  big 
mistake. 

'Tis   an  "Illusion";  nothing  real  attended  its 
creation ; 

An  "Error"  and  the  product  of  a  "Vain  im- 
agination." 

"My  body  was  not  hid  from  Thee"  was  written 
long  ago;  (Psa.  139:15) 

And  Thou  hast  called  this  "House  of  clay"  Thy 
"dwelling-place"  below;  (I.  Cor.  3:  16) 

"A  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost"  which  God  would 
fain  enjoy; 

[108] 


And  whosoe'er  destroys  it,  God  surely  will  de- 
stroy. (I  Cor.  3:17) 

"The  Saviour  of  the  body"  (Eph.  5:  23)  re- 
quires a  consecration;  (Rom.  12:1) 

But  how  can  I  present  to  Him  a  "vain  imagi- 
nation" ? 

Forgive  me,  Lord,  I  cannot  yield  my  body 
unto  Thee, 

For  "Scientists"  have  destroyed  it,  and  taken 
it  from  me. 

My  "non-existing,  sinless  self"  is  filled  with 
dire  confusion ; 

To  know  what  even  God  would  do  with  "mortal- 
mind  illusion." 

"That  which  is  born  of  flesh  is  flesh,"  say  men 

inspired  of  old;  (John.  3:  16) 
But  "learned  men"  of  recent  years  a  different 

tale  have  told. 
I  have  no  body  to  be  sick,  nor  limbs  to  give  me 

pain; 
I  have  no  head  to  throb  and  ache,  nor  hold 

imagined  brain. 
Sweet    "chemicalization"    is    the    only   hope    I 

know; 

And  if  I  suffer,  I  must  lie,  and  say  it  is  not  so ; 
Until   I    reach   a   higher   plane  where   "latent 

errors"  cease; 
And  tear   from  out  my   Bible  all  mention  of 

disease. 

[109] 


For  though  God  spoke  of  sickness,  and  pains 

that  throb  and  ache, 
Our  present  "sages"  were  not  there  to  tell  Him 

His  mistake. 
And  so  we  must  forgive  Him, — O  sacrilegious 

thought ! 
He    simply    lacked    instruction    on    what    His 

hands  had  wrought. 
He  says  He  made  a  body  and  breathed  a  soul 

therein ; 
But   God  was  just   "deluded,"  for  this   could 

not  have  been. 
"Philosophers    and   scientists"   give   us    a   new 

translation ; 
Material  man  was  never  made,  and  there  was 

no  creation. 

Through  curious  forms  of  logic  and  unique  dis- 
putation, 
They  prove  that  from  the  dust  of  earth  God 

formed  "imagination." 
Of  course  the  dust  did  not  exist,  so  this  is  their 

conclusion : 
That  out  of  nothing  God  created  "Error  and 

delusion" ! 


[110] 


"THERE  IS  A  SIN  UNTO  DEATH" 

I  SAW  a  great  and  mighty  throng, 

Who  pressed  the  way  of  life  along 
As  if  their  feet  were  marching  on 

To  funeral  dirge,  or  mourning  song, 
To  meet  a  direful  fate.     The  way 

They  walked  all  uninviting  lay; 
Yet,  which  it  seemed  they  still  must  tread 

Without  alternative.     In  fear  and  dread, 
They  seemed  compelled  a  hopeless  road 

To  walk,  and  bear  a  hopeless  load. 

How  strange !  methought,  that  sons  of  God, 

Made  in  His  image,  thus  have  trod 
The  way  of  life !    Why  so  ? 

Why  all  this  sorrow,  grief  and  woe? 
If  life's  a  spark  thrown  from  the  living  fire 

Of  God's  own  nature,  born  of  His  desire, 
Made  in  His  likeness :  why  should  we 

Live  in  such  hopeless  misery? 
Where  is  the  light  of  the  living  spark, 

That  men  should  grope  in  a  path  so  dark? 

,      [111] 


And  yet,  a  sort  of  light  is  evident  to  me, 

As  I  more  closely  look.     In  their  dark  eyes 

I  see 
A  gleam  of  light!     But,  ah,  it  starts 

From  minds,  and  not  from  out  their  hearts. 
For  though  I  see  a  gleam  of  mental  fire, 

Something  is  lacking,  Is't  the  heart's  desire 
For  better  things  than  mind  can  give? 

And  is  this  why  they  die  while  yet  they  live?) 
Something  is  gone ;  for  lifeless,  cold  and  dead 

Each    spiritual    thought    within    the    bosom 
bred. 

'Tis  darkness  all  the  way  along. 

And  yet,  each  one  of  all  that  mighty  throng 
Is  visible.     As  a  dark  spot 

On  darkness,  I  see  each ;  a  blot 
Upon  the  blackness  of  the  atmosphere. 

Each  man  a  groping  slave  to  dread  and  fear. 
I  watch  them  with  abated  breath, 

A  mass  of  lifeless  life,  a  deathless  death! 
Dead  ?    Yea,  and  yet  they  live !    Each  day 

Rattling  their   bones   of  death    along  life's 
way. 


[112] 


Who  are  they, — all  this  mighty  throng, 

That  press  the  way  of  life  along? 
Adding  such  deadness  unto  death, 

Polluting  darkness  with  their  darker  breath? 
Lo !  these  are  they  who,  having  eyes,  see  naught ; 

Whose    ears    to    hear,    the    message    never 

caught ; 
The  spark  which  in  their  breasts  did  shine 

Was  never  lit  by  light  divine, 
Because  they  never  would  admit 

Its  glorious  rays,  but  banished  it. 

Preferring  darkness  and  the  night  to  day, 

That  which  they  had  the  Master  took  away. 
"The  lamp  of  life  within,  is  darkness" ;  ne'er 

again 
Can  it  be  lit!     Thy  prayers  for  them  are 

vain. 
"The  salt  hath  lost  its  savor."     Day  by  day 

They  grieved  my  Spirit,  till  He  went  away. 
They  would  not  let  the  germ  of  life  conceive; 

And  now,  alas !  they  never  can  receive 
The  spiritual  life!  Death  reigns  instead, 
And  hopeless  night  prevails ;  for  lo !  the  seed  is 
dead! 


[113] 


"EVEN   IN   ALL  POINTS" 

"TOUCHED  with  a  feeling  of  all  my  infirmities," 

Filled  with  a  pity  for  all  I  endure; 
"Tempted  in  all  points,"  even  as  I  am, 

Friend  of  the  sinner,  though  sinless  and  pure. 
Blest  Son  of  God, — mine  own  "elder  brother" ! 

Sweet  the  assurance  which  Thou  dost  declare  ; 
Never  impatient  and  never  upbraiding, 

"Touched  with  a  feeling"  of  all  I  must  bear. 

Others  may  charge  me  with  weakness  and  error, 

Others  may  censure  and  justly  reprove; 
But  thou  art  "touched  with  a  feeling"  of  pity, 

Moved  with  compassion  and  infinite  love ! 
"Touched  with  a  feeling  of  all  my  infirmities," 

Thou  hast  provided  escape  from  them  all; 
"Tempted  in  all  points"  even  as  we  are, 

Thou  wilt  not  suffer  Thy  children  to  fall. 


For  like  the  lambs  that  are  wayward  and  help- 
less, 

Carried  by  Thee  until  strengthened  to  stand ; 
Then  gently  led  o'er  the  uneven  pathway, 

Ever  supported  by  Thy  loving  hand. 
Power  for  the  weak  ones  Thou  hast  provided, 

Each  bruised  reed  is  an  object  of  care; 
"Tempted  in  all  points"  even  as  I  am, 

"Touched  with  a  feeling"  of  all  I  must  bear. 


[115] 


MY  PRAYER 

FULLY  surrendered,  dear  Father;  passive,  sub- 
missive and  still; 

Mold  me  and  shape  me  and  use  me;  do  what- 
soever You  will. 

If  there  is  aught  that  I  know  not,  aught  in  my 
life  or  my  heart, 

Aught  that  is  still  unsurrendered,  wilt  Thou 
the  knowledge  impart? 

Show  it  to  me,  O  my  Saviour,  prove  me  and 
know  I  am  Thine; 

Try  all  my  reins,  test  and  prove  me,  fill  me 
with  knowledge  divine. 

Crucify  every  ambition,  all  that  I  am  or  shall 
be; 

Reckon  me  dead,  and  then  raise  me  glorified, 
Saviour,  with  Thee. 

Do  not  withhold  from  me,  Father,  aught  Thou 
hast  promised  to  me; 

Let  it  be  always  descending ;  measureless,  bound- 
less and  free. 

Show  me  the  depths  of  thy  mercy,  make  me  to 
see  and  to  know 

All  that  Thy  love  and  Thy  power  stand  ever 
glad  to  bestow. 

[116] 


Show  me  the  hope  of  Thy  calling ;  what  is  Thy 
purpose  for  me; 

Making  me  glad  to  fulfill  and  attain  all  that 
will  glorify  Thee. 

Make  me  each  day  to  approach  Thee  nearer 
than  ever  before; 

Make  me  to  ever  press  onward,  loving  and  serv- 
ing Thee  more. 

Make  the  cross  heavy,  if  need  be;  bitter  the 
cup  Thou  dost  give: 

If  it  will  only  work  in  me,  more  in  Thy  pres- 
ence to  live. 

Lord,  I  am  weary  with  struggling,  helpless  I 
cry  unto  Thee; 

Take  me  and  daily  work  in  me  all  Thou  wouldst 
have  me  be. 

Clay  in  the  hands  of  the  Potter;  gold  in  a  fur- 
nace of  fire ; 

Come  and  fulfill  in  my  being  all  of  Thy  heart's 
desire. 

Fully  surrendered,  dear  Master;  passive,  sub- 
missive and  still; 

Mold  me  and  shape  me  and  use  me;  do  what- 
soever you  will. 


[117] 


"YE   KNOW   NOT  WHAT  YE   ASK" 

"GivE  me,  O  Lord,  a  spotless  life,  a  heart  of 

purity ; 
And   all   that  Thy   redemption  hath  promised 

unto  me. 

Give  me  the  fullness  of  Thy  power, 
Sufficient  grace  each  passing  hour." 
But  as  I  pled  each  passing  day, 
I  heard  a  voice  beside  me  say: 
"Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask." 

"Give  me,  O  Lord,  ability,  that  I  someday  stand 
Exalted,  in  Thy  Kingdom,  Lord,  and  by  Thine 

own   right   hand. 
Ambition  fires  my  soul,  to-day; 
So  give  the  greatest  gifts  I  pray; 
And  promise  I  shall  sit  by  Thee 
On  high"; — again  He  said  to  me: 
"Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask." 


[118] 


"O  Christ,  Thou  knowest  my  desire  is  ever  just 

and  right; 
Fill    me   with   grace    and   love   and   light,   and 

strength  and  pow'r  and  might, 
Oh,  give  me  honor,  glory,  fame, 
And  all  God  offers,  in  Thy  name 
May  I  with  boldness  dare  to  claim." 
But  lo !  the  same  voice  said  again : 
"It  is  not  mine  to  give." 

"But   it  is  mine  to  fill   for  thee  the  cup  each 

passing  day, 
And  bid  thee  drink  till  thou  art  filled  with  deep 

humility. 

If  thou  wouldst  daily  serve  and  save, 
Be  thou  baptized  in  sorrow's  wave: 
Ask  nothing,  but  to  follow  on, 
And  drink  the  cup  as  I  have  done; 
Drink  ye  the  cup  and  live ! 

"The  gifts  and  powers  thou  hast  asked, — the 

spiritual  life  divine, 
Are  built  and  strengthened  in  their  growth  and 

likened  unto  mine. 
By  drinking  of  the  cup  I  give ; 
'Tis  only  thus  thy  soul  shall  live. 
But  when  ye  ask  for  exaltation, 
For  gifts  and  honors  of  salvation, 
Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask." 

[119] 


"HE  THAT  SINNETH  WRONGETH  HIS 
OWN  SOUL" 

CHILDREN,    'tis  yourselves   ye  injure  when  ye 

walk  in  paths  of  sin, 
'Tis   your   own   souls    ye   are   wronging,   when 

My  ways  ye  walk  not  in. 
When  ye  hate  Me,  ye  are  hating  life  and  all 

the  joy  it  holds; 
Loving  death,   and  all  the   suffering  which  it 

brings   to  sinful  souls. 

He  that  hateth  Me,  but  wrongeth  his  own  soul, 

and  soon  is  caught  (Psa.  9: 16) 
In  the  net  which  he  hath  woven,  in  the  work  his 

hands  hath  wrought. 
And  into  the  pit  he  diggeth,  he  himself  shall 

soon  be  cast;  (Psa.  9:  15) 
His  own  hands  have  shaped  its  borders,  made 

it  deep  and  broad  and  vast. 


[120] 


His  own  hands  have  built  the  prison  where  he 
must  in  bondage  lie ; 

His  own  lips  have  drunk  the  poison  which  com- 
pels his  soul  to  die. 

Man's  own  wickedness  correcteth,  his  back- 
sliding doth  reprove;  (Jer.  2:  14) 

Laws  of  sin  convict  the  sinner,  when  he  doth 
reject  my  love.  (Jer.  10:  14) 

Filled  with  their  own  vile  devices,  eating  fruit 
of  their  own  ways,  (Prov.  1:  31) 

Walking  in  the  sparks  they  kindle,  thus  the 
wicked  spend  their  days.  (Isa.  50:  1) 

Ye,  who  in  affliction  dwelleth,  with  a  heart 
estranged  from  Me; 

Thine  own  ways  and  thine  own  doings  have  pro- 
cured these  things  for  thee. 

Would    ye   know   what   hath   withholden    good 

things  from  thee  all  thy  days?   (Jer.  5: 

25) 
Thine  iniquity  and  sinning,  and  thy  disobedient 

ways. 
Do  ye  think  ye  can   provoke  Me  by   the  evil 

that  ye  choose?     (Jer.  7:19) 
Lo!  it  is  yourselves  ye  injure,  'tis  your  own 

souls  that  ye  lose! 


[121] 


I  Am  GOD,  ye  cannot  harm  Me  by  an  evil  act  of 

thine ; 
And  whate'er  My  law  requireth  is  for  thy  best 

good,  not  Mine. 
Yet,  I  made  thee  in  My  image,  and  would  not 

have  thee  degrade 
Nor  to  wrong  the  soul  I  gave  thee,  nor  despise 

the  life  I  made. 

For  thine  own  sake,  I  would  have  thee  choose 
to-day  the  better  part ; 

'Tis  for  thee,  not  for  thy  Master,  I  desire  thy 
mind  and  heart. 

Sin  will  surely  overthrow  thee,  hard  is  the  trans- 
gressor's way;  (Prov.  13:  15) 

When  no  peace  is  to  the  wicked,  why  reject  My 
peace  to-day?  (Isa.  57:  21) 

In  thine  own  volition  dwelleth  thine  own  destiny 

and  fate; 
Choose    to-day,    for   there    is   danger,   if  thou 

shouldst  procrastinate. 
Come  back  to  the  "Rock  of  Ages,"  that  from 

which  thy  soul  was  hewn ; 
In  Me  thou  shalt  find  completeness,  all  for  which 

thy  soul  doth  yearn. 


[122] 


THE  THIRTY-SEVENTH  PSALM 

FRET  not  thyself  because  of  evil  doers  in  the 

land; 
Trust  in  the  Lord,  and  do  thou  good,  so  shalt 

thou  understand 
That  they  shall  be  cut  down  as  grass  and  wither 

as  the  herb ; 
Let  not  the  evil  deeds  of  men  thy  heart's  sweet 

peace  disturb. 
Thy    righteousness    shall    shine    as    light,    thy 

judgments  as  the  day. 
Rest   in   the  Lord,  wait   patiently,   commit   to 

Him  thy  way. 
For  He  shall  laugh  at  evil  men,  and  knoweth 

what  shall  be; 
He  cutteth  him  from  off  the  earth ;  but  He  shall 

prosper  thee ! 

Preserved  art  thou  forevermore,  and  some  day 

thou  shalt  know 
The  fate  of  men  who  love  not  God  nor  serve 

Him   here  below. 
The  wicked  draweth  out  his  sword  and  bends 

his  bow  to  slay 
The  faithful  and  the  upright  ones ;  who  serve 

and  watch  and  pray. 
[123] 


But  God  hath  said  the  sword  they  draw  shall 

cut  their  hearts  in  twain, 
The  bows  they  draw  shall  broken  be,  and  they 

themselves  be  slain. 
The  wicked,  great  within  himself,  doth  spread 

himself  in  pride, 
Like  green  trees  in  their  native  soil  which  have 

the  storms  defied. 

But  someday,  thou  shalt  look  for  him;  and  lo, 

he  shall  not  be ! 
For  God  shall  surely  cut  him  down;  but  He 

shall  prosper  thee! 
And  give  thee  all  thy  heart's  desire  and  mark 

thy  latter  end 
With  peace  and  rich  inheritance,  and  will  thy 

cause  defend. 
Wait  on  the  Lord  and  keep  His  way,  He  shall 

thy  stronghold  be; 
When  wicked  men  shall  be  no  more,  He  still 

will  prosper  thee. 
The  Lord  forsaketh  not  His  saints,  He  is  their 

strength  and  stay; 
Their  feet  shall  never  slide,  for  He  goes  with 

them  all  the  way. 


[124] 


"LOVEST     THOU     ME     MORE     THAN 
THESE?" 

CHILDREN,  whom  I  love  so  fondly,  ye  for  whom 

I  gave  my  all; 
Count   with  Me  this   day  the  pleasures   which 

your  heart  and  soul  enthrall. 
Come  and  let  us  talk  together,  come  and  let 

us  look  and  see 
What  thou  lovest  of  earth's  pleasures  more  than 

thou  hast  loved  ME  ! 

Thou,  who  art  a  slave  to  riches,  full  of  greed 

and  loving  gain; 
Heedless  of  the  many  warnings,  I  have  made 

so  clear  and  plain ; 
Lay    thy    gold   in    shining  masses,    as   is   best 

thine  eye  to  please; 
Look  upon  it,  then  give  answer:   "Dost  thou 

love  Me  more  than  these?" 


[125] 


Daughter,  dressed  in  fashion's  plumage,  decked 

with  jewels  rich  and  rare, 
Filled  with  pride  for  thine  adornment,  anxious, 

lest  thou  be  not  fair: 
Thou,  who  art  a  friend  to  mammon,  who  with 

worldlings  mingle  free; 
Who,  amused  with  their  amusements,  ne'er  can 

truly  follow  Me: 

Hast  thou  never  read  the  message  written  in 
my  holy  Word, 

Warning  thee  that  mammon's  friendship  must 
estrange  thee  from  thy  Lord? 

Let  Me  give  thee  holy  garments,  undefiled  and 
free  from  sin; 

Be  the  King's  own  glorious  daughter,  beauti- 
ful and  pure  within. 

Thou,    who    art    forever    burdened    with    life's 

petty   toils   and  cares ; 
Thou,  who  for  earth's  food  and  raiment  spendest 

all  thy  strength  and  years ; 
Look  thou   unto  Me,  and  love   ME!     Let  thy 

hands  from  labor  cease 
Long  enough  for  Me  to  teach  thee  how  to  love 

Me  more  than  these. 


[126] 


Whatsoever  thou   hast   loved   more   than   thou 

hast  loved  Me, 
Yield  it,  spurn  it,  cast  it  from  thee,  share  with 

Me   my   calvary. 
Lay  it   down  upon   the   altar;  let  it  no  more 

hinder  thee; 
Love  not  aught  in  earth  or  heaven,  more  than 

thou  hast  loved  ME  ! 


[127] 


O  LORD,  mine  eyes  have  searched  to  find 

The  workings  of  Thy  mighty  mind ; 
Mine  ears  have  listened  to  discern 

The  things  I  so  desire  to  learn. 
Through  reasoning  powers  and  mental  strain, 

Have  I  endeavored  to  obtain 
Knowledge  of  what  Thy  hands  have  wrought, 

— The  secrets  of  Thy  mighty  thought. 
Surely  the  time  is  near  at  hand 

When  men  shall  know  and  understand; 
Philosophy   and  science  will  show 

All  that  our  souls  desire  to  know! 
Investigation  will  not  be 

In  vain.     The  mystery 
Which  He  hath  hitherto  concealed, 

Through  deep  research  shall  be  revealed. 

And  so  I  labored  on  each  day, 

Seeking  to  know  the  truth,  the  way, 
Through  mental   effort,   demonstration, 

And  strenuous  investigation, 
Ever  learning,  yet  remaining 

In  the  bond  of  error's  chaining. 
Shame,  dismay  and  deep  confusion 

Crowding  fast  on  my  delusion. 
[128] 


Till  in  deep  humiliation 

I  implored  for  Christ's  salvation. 
Wise  no  more,  I  now  became 

Fool  enough  to  see  my  shame. 
Starving  for  the  Living  Bread, 

As  a  little  child  I  pled. 
Till  the  blessed  Spirit's  power 

Showed  through  wondrous  revelation, 
That  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord 

Cometh  not  with  observation! 


[129] 


LIFE'S  HIGHWAY 

I  STAND  to-day  upon  a  place 

Where  many  pathways  meet ; 
They  stretch  afar  their  separate  ways 

From  underneath  my  feet. 
A  step  decides  the  way  I  choose, 

But  I  decide  which  step  to  take; 
I  therefore  hesitate,  and  pray 

That  I  the  wisest  choice  may  make. 
Each  holds  its  own  reward,  and  each 

Leads  to  its  separate  goal; 
Each  path  allures  my  doubting  heart 

And  tempts  my  waiting  soul. 
I  look  each  shining  way,  and  see 

The  bright  attractions  there  displayed ; 
The  gifts  and  prizes  offered  me 

In  bold  relief  arrayed. 

How  can  I  choose?     My  greedy  heart 
Desires  them  all.     My  wayward  feet 

Would  walk  all  ways  at  once,  and  reach, 
If  possible,  each  joy  complete. 

I  therefore  hesitate.     And  ere 
I  choose  my  way,  I  hear  a  voice: 
[130] 


"There  is  a  way  that  seemeth  right 

Unto  a  man,  withhold  thy  choice; 
And  hear !     The  end  thereof  is  death ! 

These  ways  appeal  to  carnal  eyes ; 
'Tis  to  the  natural  heart  they  call 

And  offer  each  respective  prize. 
Beware!    Nor  turn  from  left  to  right, 

Thine  onward  way  pursue; 
Trust  me,  and  be  thou  not  afraid, 

I'll  lead  thee  safely  through." 

But  Lord,  I  see  no  other  path, 

Save  these,  which  brightly  turn   aside; 
The  forward  way  is  dark  and  cold, 

Where  naught  but  danger  can  betide. 
"Press   forward,  Thou  canst  not  discern 

The  spiritual  visions  waiting  thee; 
But  I  will  give  thee  eyes  of  faith, 

If  thou  wilt  walk  with  me." 
I  stand  to-day  upon  a  place 

Where  many  pathways  meet; 
On  right  and  left  they  stretch  afar, 

And  tempt  my  faltering  feet. 
I  look  ahead!    The  way  is  dark; 

But  "Turn  ye  not"  I  hear  Him  say; 
I  place  my  trembling  hand  in  His, 

And  trust  the  Christ, — the  Living  Way! 


[131] 


CONSECRATE  AND  CONCENTRATE 

CONSECRATION,  consecration  means  to  give  my 

all  to  Thee ; 
Yielding  up  the  life  that  now  is,  and  the  life 

that  is  to  be. 
Concentration,  concentration  means  to  fix  my 

mind  and  heart 
On  this  purpose  of  my  being,  and  to  nobly  do 

my  part. 
Consecration,  concentration,  two  essentials  to 

salvation ; 

Trusting  Him  for  saving  grace: 
Yet  with  strong  determination  to  receive  His 

approbation, 
And  to  nobly  fill  my  place. 


I  must  be  co-worker  with  Him;  consecrate  and 

concentrate 

All  my  body,  soul  and  spirit  to  attain  the  per- 
fect state. 
Diligently  must  I  labor;  concentrate  my  every 

power 
To  work  out  the  great  salvation  He  works  in 

me  every  hour. 
Consecration,    concentration,     work    in    me, 

Lord,  Thy  salvation; 
And  help  me  from  day  to  day, 
With  a  strong  determination  to  work  out  my 

own  salvation 
In  Thine  own  appointed  way. 

Consecrate  me,  concentrate  me,  more  and  more 

with  power  divine ; 
Make  me  diligent  and  faithful,  make  me  to  be 

wholly  Thine. 

Make  me  to  receive  Thy  power  in  a  quiet,  pas- 
sive way; 

Then  to  work  with  strength  and  vigor,  faint- 
ing not  from  day  to  day. 
Working  in  my  consecration,   as   if   all   my 

soul's  salvation 
Was  depending  upon  me; 
Trusting,  as  if  all  depended  on  Thy  mercies, 

never  ending. 
Help  me,  Lord,  to  faithful  be. 

[183] 


Consecrated    concentration    is    the    Christian's 

daily  need ; 
I  must  work  out  my  salvation  if  I  would  be 

Thine  indeed. 
Vigilant   and   energetic,   passive,   lowly,   meek 

and  still; 
Letting  Thee  work  in  me  daily  all  Thy  blessed, 

holy  will. 
Then,  with  deep  humiliation,  seeking  constant 

revelation, 

Looking  always  unto  Thee ; 
Consecrated    concentration    works    out    full 

and  free  salvation, 
Which  Thou  workest,  Lord,  in  me. 


[134] 


"HIS  BLOOD  WILL  I  REQUIRE" 

I  WALKED  along  the  strait  and  narrow  way, 
Grateful  and  glad  that  He  had  chosen  me 
To  follow  where  He  leadeth,  day  by  day, 
In  sunny  paths  of  life  and  liberty. 

But  many  were  the  paths  that  oft  diverged, 
And  subtly  crept  aside,  to  lead  astray 
The    traveler, — oft    allured,   and    oft    deceived 
By  imitations  of  the  "narrow  way." 

One  path  alluring,  and  withal  so  near 
To  me,  I  thought  'twould  surely  do  no  harm 
To  merely  turn  aside  awhile.     And  so — 
I  walked  therein  with  no  alarm. 

I  did  not  stumble,  neither  did  I  stray  afar; 
Mine  eyes  still  saw  my  Guide,  and  I  returned 
Into   the  blessed  way ;  but  soon  had  cause  to 

weep 
Over  the  ruin  wrought,  the  lesson  learned. 

For  just  behind  me,  where  the  paths  diverged, 
A  brother,  weak,  had  stumbled  on  the  way; 
Stumbled  in  following  me !     "O  God,  forgive !" 
I  cried,  as  he,  my  brother,  helpless  lay. 
[135] 


Helpless  and  weak  and  lamer  than  before ! 
I  saw  him  fight  and  struggle  to  be  free; 
Until  he  sank,  defeated,  lost  forevermore, 
With  feeble  hands  outstretched  in  vain  to  me! 

And  though  I  soon  regained  the  narrow  way, 
Aspiring  still  to  reach  the  shining  goal, 
I  sorely  wept,  for  through  each  passing  day 
I  felt  this  brother's  blood  upon  my  soul. 


[136] 


ACTIVE  CHRISTIANITY 

The  simple  conditions  of  entering  the  spiritual  life, 
the  passive  state  of  merely  "believing  on  Christ,"  the 
attitude  of  being  as  "clay  in  the  hands  of  the  Potter," 
have  their  place  in  Christian  experience  and  are  good 
as  far  as  they  go.  The  soul  that  stops  here,  however, 
soon  finds  that  the  seed  brings  forth  no  fruit,  that 
"faith  without  works  is  dead,"  and  will  some  day  learn 
the  truth  of  those  mighty  and  awful  words:  "Not 
everyone  that  saith  Lord,  Lord,  will  enter  the  king- 
dom, but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  which 
is  in  heaven." 

"Go  forth,"  the  Spirit  saith,  "and  work  each 
passing  hour; 

Whate'er  thy  hand  may  find  to  do,  perform  with 
all  thy  power. 

Open  thine  eyes,  behold  the  fields  already  white ; 

Go  forth  and  labor,   early,  late,  with  all  thy 
strength   and  might. 

Hasten!     The   night   comes    on,    the    darkness 
closes  down, 

When  none  can  work;  nor  hope  to  win  a  glo- 
rious crown. 

[137] 


Be  active,  diligent  and  strong; 
The  time  for  work  will  not  be  long. 
So  gird  thyself  to  will  and  do 
Whate'er  I  may  appoint  to  you. 
Be  stedfast;  strong;  endure  each  day 
A  soldier's  hardships.     Fight  and  pray 
And  work,  and  ever  faithful  be 
In  all  that  I  require  of  thee." 

"A  doer  of  the  Word,"  the  Spirit  saith  to  me, 
"Is  what  thy  Lord  requires  and  now  expects 

of  thee. 
Blessed    are    they    that    do.     So    stir    the    gift 

within, 

And  exercise  its  power  against  the  hosts  of  sin. 
The  lost  cry  out  to  thee,  give  them  the  Living 

Bread. 
Bestir  thyself !     Go  forth !     The  hungry  must 

be  fed. 
The  lost  ones  must  be  found,  the  ignorant  must 

be  taught, 
The  troubled   spirits  comforted,  the   sick  and 

suffering  sought. 
No  longer  must  thou  passive  be, 
Since  Christ,  the  Lord,  abides  with  thee ; 
And  dwells  within  thy  breast  each  hour, 
Imparting  grace  and  strength  and  power 
With  which  to  work.     Awake!     Arise! 


[138] 


And  as  each  passing  moment  flies, 

Seek   to   improve  it.     Let  thine  eyes 

Be  ever  open ;  do  not  shirk 

Nor  disregard  thy  Master's  work. 

Be  up  and  doing  while  'tis  day, 

Uplift   the   fallen    by   the  way ; 

No  longer  passive  must  thou  stand, 

Awake!     Arise!     Stretch  forth  thy  hand 

To  seek,  to  rescue  and  to  save 

Thy  brother!     Be  thou  strong  and  brave. 

For  lo!  the  time  has  come  for  thee 

To  do  some  active  work  for  Me. 

"Go  forth,"  the  Spirit  saith ;  I  heard  the  great 

command ; 
But    though,   distinct    and   clear   His   voice,   I 

could  not  understand. 
I    answered:   "Lord,   Thou    knowest   well   that 

since  these  eyes  of  mine 
First   saw  the  light,   I   sought   to  do  the  will 

divine. 
To  act  was  ever  my  desire;  to  go  and  do  and 

dare; 

And  leave  no  work  undone,  Thy  glory  to  de- 
clare. 
But  Thou  didst  say:  Be  still,  and  trust  it  all 

to  me; 
Seek  not  to  do,  but  be  all  I  require  of  thee. 


[139] 


And  lo!  just  as  my  heart  has  learned 

The  lesson,  and  mine  eyes  discerned 

The  Truth,  lo !  Thou  dost  speak  to  me 

And  tell  me  I  must  active  be. 

Active?     When  all  these  many  years, 

I've  sought  with  prayers  and  bitter  tears 

To  have  Thee  work  within  my  breast 

A  passive  quietness  and  rest. 

Active?     When  Thou  hast  always  said 

That  I  must  reckon  myself  dead? 

Go  forth?     When  Thou  hast  said:     Be  still, 

And  let  Me  work  My  holy  will? 

Blessed  are  they  that  do?     How  strange 

That  Thy  commands  so  soon  should  change." 

"My  child,"  the  Spirit  saith,  "canst  thou  not 

understand 

That  truly  passive  souls  obey  each  new  com- 
mand 
Without  a  doubt  that  He  Who  gives,  knows 

what  is  best  each  day, 
And  in  submission  follows  on  to  serve  and  to 

obey? 
Passive  enough  to  act,  when  He  shall  bid  thee 

rise  and  go ; 
Restful  enough  to  follow  on  the  way  that  He 

may  show. 

Active  enough  to  do  and  dare 
Whate'er  thy  Master  may  declare. 
/ 

[140] 


'Tis  time  for  thee  to  know  and  see 
That  passive  souls  may  active  be, 
When  power  sufficient  has  accrued: 
And  when  with  life  divine  imbued, 
They  throb  and  breathe, — no  longer  dead, 
But  resurrected,  move  ahead. 

"The  engine  passive  stands,  while  other  hands 

contrive 
Conditions  that  produce  a  power  that  make  it 

seem  alive. 

Onward  it  goes.     Behold,  it  doth  not  idly  wait. 
An  action,  not  its  own,  transforms  its  passive 

state 
Into    sublime   activity.     Behold    the    wondrous 

plan 
That  typifies  the  power  divine  on  weak  and 

helpless  man. 

No  longer  doubt,  but  onward  move, 
The  power  within  thy  bosom  prove. 
The  Lord,  with  inner  works  divine, 
Transforms  this  passive  life  of  thine 
Into  a  life  of  active  state; 
He  would  not  have  thee  longer  wait, 
But  onward  move.     Nor  cease  to  be 
A   creature  of  activity. 
Move  thou,  with  vigor,  on  life's  way, 
And  promptly  His  commands  obey. 
He  planned  the  way,  the  track  He  laid ; 
Each  change  and  turn  and  curve  He  made. 
[141] 


His  hand  is  on  the  throttle  too; 
Submit  to  Him,  His  way  pursue ; 
For  if  thou  give  Him  full  control, 
His  power,  like  steam,  will  fill  thy  soul. 

"Behold  the  ponderous  loom.     Note  the  inten- 
sity 
With  which  it  weaves   and  works.     And  with 

what  regularity 
It   swingeth   back  and   forth,   and   shoots   the 

shuttle  through, 
Packing  each  tiny  thread,  as  if  it  thought  and 

knew 
Just  where  each  thread  must  go  and  where  each 

shade  must  twine; 
Making,   in   time,    a    fabric   rare,   of  beautiful 

design. 

We  call  it  active,  and  'tis  so, 
As  its  continuous  movements  show. 
And  yet,  submissive,  quiet,  still, 
It  stood;  until  another's  will 
Had  made  it  ready,  bade  it  go, 
And  swing  with  vigor  to  and  fro. 
Passive  it  stood,  while  in  and  out 
Another   twined  the   threads   about, 
And  planned  with  care  and  patient  thought 
What  kind  of  fabric  should  be  wrought. 
But  ere  its  parts  could  move  or  act, 
And  every  hindrance  counteract, 

[142] 


The  power  must  be  turned  on,  to  start 
In  motion  every  separate  part. 
And  when  the  time  has  come,  behold ! 
With  action,  heavy,  strong  and  bold, 
It  moves  and  works  from  hour  to  hour, 
As  if  alive  with  strength  and  power. 
Active,  because  an  unseen  force 
Controls  and  guides  it  in  its  course. 

"Thus  things  invisible,  my  child,  may  be  made 

plain  to  thee 
By    viewing    things     material ; — things    which 

thine  eyes  can  see.     • 
For  things  invisible  are  shown  by  those  things 

that  are  made; 
So  learn  a  lesson  from  the  seen,  trust  Me,  nor 

be  afraid. 
I've   planned   the   most   harmonious   shades   of 

beautiful  design ; 
I've  twined  the  threads  with  tender  care  about 

this  life  of  thine; 
I've    studied   what    thou   canst   produce,   what 

fabric  thou  must  make; 
So  when  I  turn  the  power  on,  there  will  be  no 

mistake. 

Produce  the  beautiful  design, 
Planned  and  arranged  by  power  divine. 
My  child,  hast  thou  not  yet  discerned 
That  nothing  moves  and  acts  alone  ? 

[143] 


Hast  them  observed  one  action  yet 
That  doth  its  motive  power  beget? 
Is  there  perpetual  motion  found 
On  land  or  sea,  the  world  around? 
Then  how  canst  thou,  frail  child  of  clay, 
Work  all  alone,  from  day  to  day? 

"Go  forth,"  the  Spirit  saith,  "while  I  thy  needs 

supply ; 
I  shall  thy  righteousness  increase,  thy  talents 

multiply." 

And  so  behold!  I  go,  I  move,  I  work,  I  act, 
With  God's  own  power  for  mine  each  hour,  what 

shall  I  need  or  lack? 
Submissive  to  Him  still,  this  new  command  I 

hear; 
To  be  or  do  or  bear  or  dare,  I  yield,  without 

a  fear. 

"For  me  to  live  is  Christ,"  exalted  may  He  be ; 
I'm  hidden  in  His  life,  and  He  is  hid  in  me. 
To  glory  only  in  the  cross, 
I  come;  and  count  all  else  but  loss, 
That  I  may  gain  Him,  Christ,  my  Lord. 
Abiding  in  His  precious  Word, 
I  say  with  Him :  "Lo !  I  am  come 
To  do  Thy  will,  and  Thine  alone." 


[144] 


SEARCHING  FOR  TRUTH 

IN  every  age  since  Time  began, 

Inquiring  minds  have  sought  to  know 
Life's  mysteries,  and  the  laws  divine 

That  govern  things  below. 
Man's  busy  brain  and  reasoning  powers 

Have  ever  speculated 
Upon  the  Elemental  Cause 

Of  everything  created. 
The  purpose  of  his  being, 

And  the  end  of  earthly  strife, 
The  why,  the  what,  the  wherefore 

Of  the  Way,  the  Truth  and  Life. 

And  though  he  groped  in  darkness, 

Faint  gleams  of  Truth  he  caught; 
"A  law  unto  himself"  he  found 

A  part  of  what  he  sought. 
For  He  Who  promised  He  would  write 

His  law  upon  men's   hearts, 
Who  said  He  would  reveal  Himself 

Unto  the  inward  parts, 
Moved  in  the  darkness  on  the  deep 

Of  man's  benighted  life ; 
Till  latent  powers  were  waked  from  sleep, 

By  strange  internal  strife. 

[145] 


From  Egypt's  buried  monuments 

And  records  excavated, 
We  learn  that  years  before  the  flood 

These  truths  were  much  debated. 
And  through  the  darkness  they  discerned 

A  radiant  star, — one  God,  supreme ; 
"Ptah,"  the  God  of  lesser  gods, 

"Who  reigns  from  mount  to  stream." 
"If  thou  art  wise,  bring  up  thy  son 

In  love  of  God,"  they  taught; 
Was  e'er  command  more  tersely  made, 

Or  more  with  wisdom  fraught? 

In  Iran,  when  Hypastes  reigned, 

Zoroaster  sought  to  show 
In  the  "Avesta"  Truth  and  Life 

Which  men  desired  to  know. 
Ahriman,  imp  of  evil,  strove 

With  Ormuzd,  of  the  light; 
A  daily  conflict  in  the  heart, 

And  man  must  daily  fight. 
But  final  victory  awaits !  Man  would  no  longer 

grope ! 
Zoroaster  caught  it  from  afar, 

— Ahura's   star  of  hope. 


Again,  about  King  David's  time, 

Brave  Aryans  sought  to  find 
A  revelation  that  would  show 

The  Way,  and  Life  to  human-kind. 
Recorded  in  Rig- Veda, 

—Which   Brahmans   thought   divine- 
Bright  bits  of  Truth,  like  tiny  stars, 

From  countless  errors  shine. 
Then  Lao-tze,  groping  in  the  dark, 

Sought  also  for  the  Way ; 
And   Taoists,  his  disciples, 

Walked  "Tao"  day  by  day. 

Shangti,  the  God  supremest, 

Was  deified  in  thought ; 
And  man's  first  Trinity, — San-tsing, — 

The  bit  of  Truth  they  caught. 
Following  after,  came  Confucius, 

Who  in  turn  his  millions  led, 
Pointing  to  his  Ti  and  Tien, 

Praying  to  departed  dead. 
"Never  do  to  any  other, 

What  you'd  not  have  done  to  you" ; 
— Golden  rule  of  life,  presented 

From  a  mass  of  things  untrue. 


Buddha,  sitting  'neath  the  Bo-tree, 

Left  to  wait  and  watch  alone, 
Self-denying,  self-suppressing, 

Prayed  to  know  the  great  unknown. 
Groping  in  the  dark,  he  fancied 

That  he  saw  the  Truth  descend; 
Suffering  and  its  cause  discovered, 

Sweet  Nirvana  at  the  end! 
Sweet  Nirvana !   Precious  message ! 

End  of  struggling  and  of  strife ; 
This  the  message  of  "The  Blessed," 

Was  to  them  the  Truth  and  Life. 

Ancient  Greece,  in  all  her  glory, 

Bent  her  haughty  head  and  prayed 
To  "The  unknown  God,"  beseeching 

For  the  Truth  so  long  delayed. 
One  of  seven  was  learned  Thales ; 

"The  first  principle"  he  sought ; 
"Know  thyself,"  his  admonition, 

And  the  message  that  he  brought. 
Next  appeared  Anaximenes, 

Seeking  still  the  Truth  and  right; 
One  step  further  than  his  master, 

Catching  clearer  gleams  of  light. 


[148] 


Diogenes,  of  Appollonia, 

Spoke  to  men  no  idle  dream, 
When  he  said :  "Back  of  creation, 

Is  Intelligence  supreme." 
Heraclitus,  seeking  further, 

Found  a  life  within  his  own, 
Linking  him  with  life  in  others, 

— Knowledge  heretofore  unknown. 
Anaxamanda,  vague,  but  learned; 

Pythagoras,  who  followed  on, 
Brings  us  to  Xenophanes'  message, 

— God  as  an  eternal  One. 

Zeno  and  Parmenides 

Came  with  wondrous  contemplation, 
Adding  bits  of  Truth  and  logic 

Through  the  art  of  disputation. 
Empedicles  appeared  in  time, 

Not  one  of  vague  fanatics, 
But  one  who  reasoned  out  the  Truth 

Like  comrade  Eleatics. 
And  "God  is  love"  was  first  declared,- 

Sublimest  declaration, 
That  ever  yet  had  been  proclaimed 

By  any  tribe  or  nation. 


[149] 


Wise  Socrates,  that  mighty  man 

Of  broad,  inquiring  vision, 
Took  up  the  thread  and  traveled  far 

Upon  man's  favorite  mission. 
Through  skillful  dialectics 

He  taught  the  mind  to  see, 
And  through  deductive  reasoning 

Proved  immortality! 
Plato  succeeded,  more  profound, 

Searching  as  scholars  should; 
Teaching  that  science,  real  and  true, 

Is  knowing  God  and  good. 

Then  Aristotle  came  and  sought 

For  deeper  revelation ; 
He  emphasized  Socratic  thought 

By  deeper  concentration. 
He  studied,  found  and  taught  each  day, 

And  following  his  master's  plan, 
He  tried  to  find  the  Truth,  the  Way, 

By  study  of  the  inner  man, 
Through  bold,  deductive  reasoning 

He  silenced  many  isms, 
Completing  what  Thales  began 

Through  wondrous  syllogisms. 


[150] 


And  many  minds  of  lesser  power 

Were  strewn  along  the  ages, 
Inquiring  all  along  the  years 

The  question  of  the  sages, 
lonians,  Stoics,  Cynics 

And  Sophies,  each  were  trying 
To  find  the  Way,  the  Truth,  the  Life 

For  which  the  world  was  crying; 
And  each  one  groaned  within  himself, 

And  travailed  with  creation, 
And  looked  and  longed  and  wept  and  prayed 

For  their  emancipation.    . 

But  all  these  years  a  nation  walked 

Apart  from  other  nations, — 
Divinely  led,  divinely  taught, 

By  constant  revelations. 
Through  them  the  promised  life  would  come, 

The  star  arise  some  day ; 
Soon    God   would   say:   "Let   there  be  light!" 

The  Truth  was  on  its  way. 
While  hearts  and  minds  of  men  reached  out 

For  holier,  better  things, 
"The  Sun  of  righteousness  arose 

With  healing  in  his  wings !" 


[151] 


From  out  the  lowly  haunts  of  life, 

A  cry  went  forth,  one  day ; 
And  listening  hearts  rejoiced  to  hear: 

"Behold,  /  am  the  WAY  !" 
Man  halted  in  his  search  for  Truth 

And  ceased  his  weary  strife, 
And  listening,  caught  the  voice  again: 

"7  am  the  Truth,  the  LIFE  !" 

And  famished  souls  and  hungry  hearts, 

Desiring  to  be  fed, 
Drank  from  a  Living  fountain, 

And  ate  the  Living  bread. 
A  mighty  light  shone  o'er  the  world, 

In  rays  of  gold  descending; 
And  lo !  the  Way,  the  Truth,  the  Life, 

Were  in  Him  comprehended. 
Men  saw  the  Elemental  Cause, 

In  Whom  all  things  were  blending, 
The  Alpha  and  Omega — 

The  Beginning  and  the  Ending. 
And  since  that  mighty  Light  arose, 

All  other  lights  grew  dim; 
No  matter  what  men  may  desire, 

They  find  it  all  in  Him! 


[152] 


"WITH    FREEDOM    DID    CHRIST    SET 
YOU  FREE" 

"THROUGH   one  trespass   came  the  judgment 
Unto  all  men"  here  below;  (Rom.  5:18) 
"Under  law"  and  "held  in  bondage"  (Gal.  3: 

23) 

To  the  soul's  most  bitter  foe. 
All  humanity  in  prison 
Breathing  out  one  yearning  cry, 
In  united  prayer  ascending, 
Till  it  pierced  the  azure  sky. 
Man  had  sold  himself  to  sin,  (Rom. 
But  the  agony  endured 
Chased  away  the  clouds  of  anger 
Which  the  Father's  face  obscured. 
Angel  armies  bent  in  pity, 
Touched  were  all  the  heavenly  hosts ; 
Stirred  and  moved  to  deep  compassion, 
Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost. 
Clouds  had  draped  the  blue  of  heaven, 
Darker  grew  earth's  doubts  and  fears ; 
Triune  God  was  moved  to  pity 
Till  the  earth  was  wet  with  tears. 


[153] 


"Under  law"  and  "held  in  bondage,"  (Gal.  3: 

23) 

Wretched  man  would  long  have  lain ; 
Had  not  Christ  besought  the  Father 
For  to  break  the  captive's  chain. 
Great  the  joy  when  God  consented 
That  His  Son  should  ransom  be; 
Blessed  promise,  "That  with  freedom 
Christ  should  set  the  captive  free!"  (Gal.  5:23) 
Free?     Ah,  how  the  vaults  of  heaven 
Rang  with  cherubimic  song! 
Glory,  honor  and  dominion 
Unto  Christ  the  Lord,  belong. 
Free?     Ah,  how  the  happy  chorus 
Sped  to  earth,  where  misery 
Sat  in  captive  chains  and  shackles, 
Praying,  pleading  to  be  free! 
"When  the  fullness  of  the  time 
Came,"  God  sent  His  Son,  so  true;  (Gal.  4:4) 
"Under  law"  and  "born  of  woman"  (Gal.  4:4) 
Man's  great  error  to  undo. 

"Through  one  man"  sin  dominated, 

Satan  ruled  and  havoc  wrought ; 

"Through   one   man"   was    freedom   purchased, 

And   complete   deliverance  brought.    (Rom.   5: 

15) 

"Through  one  trespass  came  the  judgment 
Unto  all  men," — slaves  to  be; 
"Even  so,  through  Christ's  obedience" 
Came  the  gift  of  life,  so  free.     (Rom.  5:19) 
[154] 


Free?     What  means  the  term  to  sinners? 

Who  by  nature  are  enthralled?     (Eph.  2:2) 

Helpless  captives,  bound  in  prison,  (Isa.  42:7) 

Slaves  and  bondmen  since  the  fall.    (Rom.  6:20) 

Free?     Shall  they  remain  entangled 

With  the  yoke  of  sin  and  shame?     (Gal.  4:9) 

Is  a  free-man  still  a  bond-man, 

Was  the  purchase  all  in  vain? 

Does  "redeemed"  mean  unredeemed, 

Does  "delivered"  mean  to  be 

Ever  in  the  toils  of  bondage, 

When  His  Word  declares  us  free? 

Some,  alas!  who  live  in  darkness, 

Call  themselves,  "delivered,"  "free"; 

Knowing  naught  of  His  redemption, 

Feeling  naught  of  liberty. 

Who  can  dare  deny  his  bondage 

Who  succumbs  to  Satan's  power? 

Who  would  dare  proclaim  his  freedom, 

Serving  sin  each  passing  hour? 

"Whosoever"  saith  the  Master, 

"Doth  commit  sin,  is  its  slave!"     (John,  8:34) 

Hearken,  therefore! — Ye  in  bondage, 

Will  ye  heed  the  truth  He  gave? 

Hear  ye  Him,  He  speaks  it  plainly, 

Recognizing  every  need ; 

"He  to  whom  the  Son  gives  freedom 

Shall  be  free  indeed !"     (John  8:36) 


[155] 


"To  destroy  the  works  of  Satan"  (I  John  3:8) 
He  hath  suffered,  bled  and  died  ; 
"Whosoever  will"  is  pardoned 
By  a  justice  satisfied.     (Eph.  2:16) 

"Being  thus  made  free  from  sinning"   (Rom. 


Is  the  gospel's  message  clear; 

Purchased  not  with  gold  or  silver, 

He  hath  paid  a  price  more  dear. 

"Free  from  sin,"  ye  now  are  servants 

Unto  righteousness  divine;  (Rom.  6:13) 

"Ye  are  not  your  own,"  He  whispers,  (I  Cor. 

6:19) 
I  have  bought  thee,  thou  art  mine.      (I  Cor. 

6:20) 

Bought  thee,  not  with  things  corrupted, 
Not  with  silver  or  with  gold;  (I  Peter  1  :18) 
But  with  blood,  —  the  sacrificial, 
Death  and  agony,  untold! 
Bought  you,  freed  you  and  redeemed  you, 
That  the  God  Who  reigns  above 
Might  adopt  you  as  His  children,  (Rom.  8:17) 
Heir  to  all  His  wealth  of  love. 
"Heir  through  God"  to  all  His  riches;  (Gal. 

4:7) 

Free  from  lusts  of  flesh  and  sin;  (Gal.  5:24) 
"Sons  of  God"  in  glorious  freedom, 
Liberty,  without  and  in!     (Rom.  8:21) 


Flesh  would  hold  you  still  in  bondage,   (Gal. 

5:17) 

Dominate  your  mind  and  soul; 
But  I  give  your  spirit  power 
Every  passion  to  control.      (Rom.   8:13) 
Herein  lies  the  full  redemption; 
Mind  and  spirit  are  imbued 
With  a  power  that  overcometh, 
Power  to  keep  the  flesh  subdued.     (Rom.  8:10) 
Power  to  mortify  its  members, 
Crucify  the  works  of  sin;  (Gal.  5:24) 
"More    than    conquerors,"    ye    shall    triumph 

(Rom.  8:37) 

By  the  power  that  works  within.     (Col.  1 :29) 
Cast  thou  out  the  son  of  weakness, 
Which  doth  daily  tyrannize 
O'er  the  sonship  of  the  spirit, 
Closing  fast  his  holy  eyes. 
Cast  him  out, — this  son  of  matter, 
He  who  strives  against  thy  soul ; 
He  who  wars  against  thy  spirit, 
Let  him  no  more  have  control. 
Cast  him  out,  or  thou  canst  never 
See  the  golry  of  my  face;   (Heb.  12:14) 
'Tis  not  for  him  to  inherit 
Blessings  of  my  saving  grace.      (Gal.  4:30) 
"Sold  to  sin"  thou  art  by  nature,  (Rom.  7:14) 
Flesh  is  master  since  that  day 
When  was  sold  the  spirit's  power 
Over  all  created  clay. 

[157] 


Dost  thou  ask  whereof  the  bondage, 

Wouldst  thou  know  wherein  the  fall? 

'Twas  the  loss  of  spirit-power 

Over  all  that  would  enthrall. 

Flesh  with  manifold  desires 

Quick  supplanted  power  of  soul ; 

Bringing  spirit  into  bondage 

To  the  body's  full  control. 

But   my   blood   rebought    this   power,    (I    Cor. 

9:27) 

Ye  are  slave  to  sin  no  more ; 
"Stand  fast"  therefore  in  your  freedom, 
Power  of  spirit  I  restore.     (Gal.  5:25) 
As  the  first  created  Adam, 
Live  and  move  and  master  be! 
Know  the  truth  of  my  redemption, 
"For  the  truth  shall  make  you   free!"    (John 

8:32) 

He  hath  sent  me  for  to  heal  you, 

And  to  open  wide  the  door 

Of  the  prison  that   confines  you, 

He  hath  sent  me  to  restore.     (Isa.  61:1) 

To  proclaim  your  full  redemption, 

And  to  offer  liberty ; 

Binding  up  the  broken-hearted, 

Making  blinded  eyes  to  see;  (Psa.  146:7) 

Giving  oil  of  joy  for  mourning, 

Garbs  of  praise  to  those  who  wear 

[158] 


Robes  of  heaviness  and  sorrow,   (Isa.  61:1) 

Love, — that  casteth  out  all  fear. 

Lo !  I  come  to  bring  you  freedom, 

Will  ye  now  my  gift  receive? 

When  I  promise  full  redemption, 

Will  ye  not  my  word  believe? 

Thou  hast  still  the  power  of  choosing, 

In  thy  breast  is  strength  of  will;  (Rev.  22:17) 

Wilt  thou  enter  glorious  freedom,  (Rom.  8:21) 

Or  remain  a  vassal  still? 

Shall  the  inner  rule  the  outer, 

Things  unseen,  the  things  we  see? 

Shall  the  spirit  be  enfranchised, 

Stand  unfettered,  firm  and  free? 

Glorious  liberty  is  promised  (Rom.  8:21) 

To  adopted  sons  and  heirs ; 

"Where  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  is 

There  is  freedom,"  He  declares.     (II  Cor.  3 :17) 

Let  thy  spiritual  eyes  be  opened,  (Eph.  1 :18) 

Look  and  know  and  feel  and  see 

Truth,  as  Jesus  hath  revealed  it, 

"For  the  truth  shall  make  you  free!" 


[159] 


"LIKE  UNTO  THE  MOUNTAINS" 

AROUND  the  Holy  City,  great  mountains,  strong 

and  high, 
Lift  up  their  proud  gigantic  heads  against  the 

azure  sky. 
Ah,  mighty,  everlasting  hills!  immovable  and 

sure; 
As  sentinels,  they  stand  and  watch;  protective 

and  secure. 
Above  the  Holy  City  the  sun  shines,  warm  and 

bright ; 
Its   golden   rays    are   spreading   far,   diffusing 

glorious  light; 
The  hills  are  there,  we  see  them !  majestic,  strong 

and  true; 
Our   hearts    can   never  doubt,   for  lo !   they're 

standing  full  in  view! 

Above  the  Holy  City,  black,  heavy  clouds  doth 
hover ; 

And  nowhere  in  the  distance  can  I  the  hill  dis- 
cover. 

But  do  I  think  those  mountains  have  been  re- 
moved away, 

Because  I  no  more  see  them,  as  on  a  sunny  day  ? 

Could   their  secure   foundations  be  shaken   or 
disturbed  ? 

[160] 


Could  their  annihilation  have  possibly  occurred? 
Ah,  no !    Around  the  city,  beyond  those  clouds, 

so  gray, 
The  mountains  stand,  as  strong  and  sure,  as 

on  the  brightest  day ! 

And  this  my  Lord  hath  told  me :  that  like  those 

mountains  high, 
Around    all    those    who    fear    His    name,    He 

sta,ndeth  ever  nigh. 
Why   should   I   doubt   or  be   afraid  because   I 

cannot  see, 
When  fleeting  clouds  of  life  arise  and  hide  His 

face  from  me? 
If   there   are   times   when   He   remains   a  little 

while  unseen, 
'Tis  just  because  some  mist  of  earth  has  risen 

up  between. 
And  even  though  the  darkness  should  hide  His 

blessed  face, 
He's    still    my    "Mount    of    happiness,"    my 

strong  abiding  place! 


[161] 


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